San Francisco Serenade

Golden morning spills across the bay,

Where painted hills awake the day,

And cable cars hum silver tunes

Beneath the drifting western moon.

The restless fog rolls soft and slow

Around Golden Gate Bridge in crimson glow,

A giant painted against the sea,

Guarding dreams and memory.

Along the piers the gulls all fly,

Salted winds beneath the sky,

At Fisherman’s Wharf laughter rings,

While ocean air through sunlight sings.

The lanterns bloom in scarlet streams

Through Chinatown glowing dreams,

Where ancient stories softly rise

Like dragon smoke in evening skies.

Above the city, proud and high,

The curves of Lombard Street twist nearby,

A ribbon dancing down the hill,

With blooming gardens standing still.

At painted dawn the murals shine

Within Mission District so divine,

Where every wall and every flame

Whispers freedom’s vibrant name.

Across the bay the island stands,

A silent ghost of older lands,

And echoes drift through midnight air

From Alcatraz Island waiting there.

When twilight crowns the cobalt sea,

The city glows electrically,

And stars descend like notes above

On streets alive with art and love.

O San Francisco, wild and bright,

A symphony of sea and light,

Your hills, your heart, your endless view

Leave every wandering soul renewed.

                             — Meenakshi Singh