Escape at Last

The chain fence diamonds
the expanse beyond,
marking boundaries,
mirroring the horizontal
bars of nature’s material selves.

Breaching the barrier,
my gaze skims the bay,
riding a spectrum
that dyes land and sea,
drenching the liminal
landscape, darkening earth,
greening tides that burn fuchsia,
folding tangerine and orange
over the calm inlet waters,
to flood the far isthmus
in sun’s gilded rays.

Framed by wooden planks,
this side of forbidden,
this side that exiles me,
this wire and wood that blocks
all but the force of my sight,
the planet lies beneath the gilded
crown of a violet and blue sky.

Stunned by beauty, I lace
fingers in cold metal links.

Escape, at last.