Ladder...

a night when all of creation seemed clear
written upon solid-seeming face of sea water
spewn from the rotors of a fishing boat
I saw the endless swirl and tide of existence
the power of time to remedy a spent moment
the way all that could be could be conserved
reserved and expressed

in layers of random patchwork existence
governed by common hands, noble forces
that fold the second just passed
into a second to come, stirred my fluid thought

a night I learned of a universe within me;
rolling on the sea, clear moonlit night rhythm
slapping waves and a gull sound melody, I knew
that love filled the stage of my life
just as the pale sky above me added stars,
filled in nuance of night upon fading dusk
and I knew the stage truly
was only a ladder step

I kept that night, hold it even now
as I write a scrap upon a page, my foot
poised to place... another step