The Old Lighthouse, Cayman Brac

Arrive at last on mountain bike
Or walk from Spot Bay Town
Climb the ladder, contemplate
The blue and green surrounds

No ship today no fishing boat
No contrails in the sky
Nor work of man anywhere
But the light and the road nearby

Only the boom of the waves below
That build from Cuba’s shore
Frigatebirds, Boobies, Peregrines
Soaring evermore

Bring any mood, your mood improves
Stress has no place here
You’ll find a friend in your own good self
And God seems very near

Come here thoughtless and find a thought
Come empty and write a poem
We need a place of quiet rest
It’s an hour’s hard journey home!

I saw a man pause in a car
“There’s nothing here to see”
So right! There’s only the vault of the sky
Our wild green land and the sea

jwp
September 1998