Just a Thought, Just Because – Four Verses by the Hudson

1)

More than my fascination for the twilight
and more than my appreciation
for the nighttime sky above Manhattan
and more than how I dig the moon
when it hovers above us and shines over the Hudson,
or when in mid- summer,
maybe late July or close to August,
when the days are long and the nights are hot
in more ways than one;
I recognize this as a limited window of time.

I say it’s an opportunity, as if to recall
a purpose for this moment;
whereas –
I am really nothing more than a spectator in this sport.
I am watching. I’m taking notes.
I’m learning . . .

It’s been so long since I’ve walked beside the Hudson.
I need to do this
Soon too.

I’m thinking about the East and uptown because hey,
I know that somewhere up there,
there’s a force to be reckoned with.
Maybe it’s mighty.
Maybe it’s weighty.
Either way, it’s something . . .

I know that there is something beneath the surface.
Something’s brewing.
This is like the world turning.
You can’t feel it,
But you know it’s moving.

I know that change is coming; but still,
more than my association with the world
and more than my worries
or the wonder of what goes on behind my back,
there is my fascination for the moon,
hung above the Hudson River
which is moving like a black sheet of glass
streaming in the pre-midnight hours.

She’s reflecting the lights from the buildings of the City.
The Hudson . . .
And beside her –
The Westside
The Highway . . .
The piers
The people.

I am more amazed by this lately.
I am more amazed by the simple things too.

Lately, I find signs in simple things.
For example –
I am amazed by the anchored barges
that sleep on the river, not moving,
just waiting to pull in,
awaiting the tugboats at morning
to navigate them to where they need to go
and to pull into port to remove their shipments.

In fairness –

We are not close to the summertime.
But I think we both understand
what it means to need the push.
We know what it’s like to need help with navigation
to get us to where we want to be.

I’m glad I know this because otherwise,
I would be as mindless as the sitting ship,
just a body or a shell,
pointless without the command of a captain
or useless without the means of its shipment.

I have so much that I want to give –

So ring the ship’s bells three times
It’s a signal –
that only you would know.

2)

I am awaiting the weight of heavy rains
which today, the sky seems clear; yet,
I am not in fear of when the clouds come.

I know what I’ve begun and how the sun is always there for me –
like you are.
Still though, I am awaiting the storm
which is enough to allow for the child to cry.
To me, this is more like a lullaby
or a hush from a loving mother,
protective as ever but giving,
loving with a touch that soothes the soul
so the mind can be at peace.

I am no more a fan of the sun than I am the moon
because, of course,
we need them both to complement the day or night.
We need the sunset to acknowledge the nightlife
and the sunrise to incite the daybreak.

We need the clouds to appreciate the sun
just like we need the winters
to help us appreciate warmth from the hand. 

3)

I understand that I am moving,
very much like the rest of us are
I am reflecting the shadows
and casting lights from my eyes,
like the sunlight in hindsight because, of course,
we all know what we want –
we know what we need.

Nothing grows unless planted.
Therefore, please
Allow me to plant this here.

I accept that the way or talk
of the way we hide behind simple innuendos
is because we’re only trying to protect ourselves.
Yet . . .
I find myself wanting more – like you want more
Like we all want more

I think there’s a word for this to . . .
I believe we call it
Destiny

4)

I am destined for something
I know I am

I am moving in a direction
which can only be determined in time.
I am like the black waters in the river,
post-midnight this time, mystic and quiet,
running flat beneath winter’s moon
before spring comes in
and takes its place

I am destined for this, for you,
for something more
than the sensational idea of greatness. 

I am destined and while my fate is shimmering like a dream,
or otherwise,
while my hopes are like the moon on the surface of the Hudson,
I am moving beneath the moonlight. In hindsight,
I say this – I find myself circling back to autumn:
the seasons of winter, spring, summer, fall –
all of which point my needs in the same direction

I am moving now . . .
The ship I mean, destined to port. 

She asks . . .
Did you bring your destiny?
You should know, I say.

It’s in your hands.