Down the Hillside
A Poetic Profile of Sausalito
by Duncan Dwelle, April 2003
Sausalito
trips laughing down the hillside
stones spilled from pockets of pebbles
castles and cottages glowing pink and white
Portofino on the Pacific tickling toes in the Bay
Morning mist
sifts silently down the hillside
blending sharp edged man-made profiles
into feathery fans of soft glowing eucalyptus
lofting lacy light over gulls and seals at breakfast
Mid-day fog
cascades coldly down the hillside
spilling swiftly from ridge to canyon trough
running giant rapids round steeples and steps
rushing out to wrinkled waters waiting for the gust
Evening sun
glows golden down the hillside
racing shadows stretching to the beach
silhouetting shining sails reaching for harbor
setting fires on the Bay soon doused by graying dusk
Midnight rain
lashes liquid down the hillside
sweeping streets of leaves and dust
gurgling, gushing through gutters and drain pipes
filling creeks and flushing fresh streams far out to sea
Sausalito
folds snugly down the hillside
wrapping lanes in blankets of green
rain fed, fog cooled, sun warmed, mist softened
character cast down the hillside glistening by the Bay