THE EMBARCADERO

Stephen Gibson

Those tugboats
Pushing construction barges over the green waters of the Bay
Aren't sure if they are moving through a joy
Or a loneliness and I'm not sure
I can help them understand the difference.
Across the water beyond this
Treasure Island and the traffic sliding and jamming
On the bridge overhead the Oakland hills
Cower in the distance.
Today is clear summer perfection and the sky
Is wide and silent
And our hearts are wrecked.
I'm like everyone else sitting here along the Embarcadero
Eating a sandwich and drinking Coke from a waxed-paper cup
With my tie flipped over one shoulder and my eyes
Shrinking behind my sunglasses.
I drink and drink until there is only ice
But I do not rise when I am finished
And go back to work.
I keep sitting here waiting for the sunlight to fade
And change the way the water looks.
I'm going to wait for this sunlight to turn into the darkness
That separates our days from our dreams.