If I Took You to Seattle

July 2013. Please excuse my poor geography.

If I took you to Seattle

-and I'd take you to Seattle-

we'd go by bus

and on the way

I'd point out all the hills

-even though you'd already have noticed-

and every coffee shop

-though you'd have noticed those too-

and we'd step off wherever you wanted.

We could go to Montlake

Watch canoers under the bridge

Play Frisbee at the university

Dodge cyclists by beautiful old houses and evergreens

Get on a bus to Rainier Avenue

Walk through the International District and talk to interesting strangers

Hear their stories over pho or dim sum

And when we got lost on diagonal streets

With no sun to give us directions

-and there would be no sun

in late morning in Seattle-

Walk up the nearest hill

Scan the horizon for the needle in the sky

And go

Until we could touch the steel

Run in the fountain

Smell the salmon and gyros and fried rice

Watch the festival

-and there'd be a festival-

And head west until there was no more west

Watch the sailboats

Feel the salt water in our faces

Wait for the clouds to clear

So you would believe me

about Seattle summers.

We'd go up to the market

See the locals and friends and tourists

The flying fish and golden pig

Try honey lavender ice cream

And when you'd had your fill

Of fresh cherries and accidental hipsters

We'd find a ferry

Face the wind

Breathe in the saltwater

Point out Rainier and Baker

-southeast and northeast-

Scan for orcas

Hitch a ride to the other side

And kayak right across the canal

Cross the barnacle-ridden oyster beaches

Pass the geoduck jellyfish mess

Lunch under madronas

-I love the madronas-

Just keep walking up, up, up

Through the world of ghost pipe and banana slugs

Where the contour lines get too close to count

And you can't quite tell which way will be up or down

Where the wrong turn could bring Mystery or Deception

But the right turn could lead to Sol Duc or Ozette

(maybe not quite Ozette)

But to Duckabush, Dungeness, Dosewallips

Or Klahane or Elwha or Hoh

From the marmots and osprey to spruce and bellflower

And down to the mussels and seagulls once more

But of course by this point we'd be far past Seattle

Far past the scope of one dry afternoon

So after all this we'd return to the city

And head back to town as Seattleites do