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Friday, February 26, 2021

FERLINGHETTI FRIDAY / ONE POEM BY SAN FRANCISCO’S LAUREATE


THE CHANGING LIGHT 

By Lawrence Ferlinghetti (1919-2021) 

The changing light 

At San Francisco 

Is none 

of your East Coast light 

None of your pearly light of Paris 

The light of San Francisco 

is a sea light 

an island light 

And the light of fog 

blanketing the hills 

drifting in at night 

through the Golden Gate 

to lie on the city at dawn 

And then the halcyon late mornings 

after the fog burns off 

and the sun paints white houses 

with the sea light of Greece 

with sharp clean shadows 

making the town look like 

it had just been painted 

But the wind comes up at four o'clock 

sweeping the hills 

And then the veil of light of early evening 

And then another scrim 

when the new night fog 

floats in 

And in that vale of light 

the city drifts 

anchorless upon the ocean.

2003. 

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