Seattle Taught Me
Seattle taught me that there’s value in rain
that hovers in the air like an amorphous bird
with no substance, playing harmlessly
on your face and in your hair.
Seattle taught me that there’s immeasurable beauty
a short way away in the Sound
and in the forests of great and ageless trees,
in the streets that are at once urban
and rural with no dissonance at all.
Seattle taught me that the world is much larger
than I ever even considered
and the people can be various, even diverse
but yet courteously unified
no matter where you find them.
And Seattle taught me that some places house
people so beautiful no words can tell
and that this far from home is a woman
so wonderful as to be a queen
and that I must fall at her feet and beg her to be mine.
Seattle taught me to be born again,
to be alive, to create in us all new things
in easy days in coffee shops, libraries
and parks spread across the whole state.
Seattle taught me to be whole, human and adult
in a world where I feared all was childish,
and taught me that life is sometimes dangerous,
that bright flames can be extinguished young
so I must treasure my every day and hour.
Seattle whispers to me every day
to come back and spend a little time
because Seattle lives in me like home,
like a friendly spirit and mentor.
Peter Cartwright
August 2016
