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 Cold Front Over Key WestThe Spiritual Traveler
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Leaden skies have
been hanging over Key West, my vacation a bust. This is what
paradise looks like when you take the sun away for a week.
 My
favorite spot - where the road sharply bends and opens out onto the
sea. I hunker down by the breakwater. A
rollerblader navigates the hairpin curve, at the exact spot where the
continent ends with finality.
 On
the reinforced concrete pier, a Rotary sign, like a compass, points the
way to eternity. At this meeting place between heaven and
earth, I remember some lines from the Tao-te-Ching: "Darkness within
darkness, the gate to all mystery."
 At
the AIDS memorial - there is a quote from Kahlil Gibran: "For what is
it to die except to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the
sun?" Or to dive into the sea.
 Xmas
eve, I'm hunkered down in a bar. All I want is a frozen
margarita with plenty of salt on the rim of the
glass. Nothing but margaritas and salt for me.
 The
next day, I'm back on the beach. The gulls sit on the rim of
the breakwater and stare at the passersby, as if curious about the
bedraggled race of men they see.
 The
beach is deserted, sun umbrellas poking out of the sand like miniature
parasols on the rims of cocktail glasses beneath the lush, green
trees.
 A
row of birds on the pier, at attention like a military honor
guard. In the background, an amusement park with a ferris
wheel. Reality standing guard over fantasy.
 The
monument to Jose Marti. At one time, it was a point of
reference for those nostalgic for the Cuba of old. I'm
listening to Gloria Estefan singing a song in Spanish. Punto
de refencia - point of reference. She sings of a failed love
that will forever be a symbol to her of something to avoid, like the
dangerous reefs that broke many an ancient sailing vessel along the
Keys.
The monument in Key West seems as far from Cuba as the love of which
Gloria Estefan sings is distant from me. A cold front is
hanging over Key West; the continent seems too small. I feel
hemmed in, and wait for release. |
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Date Submitted:
2004-01-02 00:00:00 |
Copyright Information:
Copyright © The Spiritual Traveler, 2001 |
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