to the horizon

Rooms by the Sea, by Edward Hopper, 1951

two rooms

Really I’d rather be 
in the next room 
the one in the rear
with the window
where I can stand quietly
at the sill 
the curtains open 
blowing
the sun streaming in

where 
nicely framed
angled by the light
I can gaze
at the bright waters
the sparkle and rhythm
     or even divine 
something murky
beneath the waves
     contemplate the what?
all the way to the horizon 
how it shimmers with 
the flex and give 
of the finite
     then take a step back
and think about 
how different windows are 
from doors 

in degrees of light
     aslant or steeped
how much is illumined
in leisure contained 
that is    in time
that is    how much of you 
is free

how with a window 
you can learn to see
and live
but with a door
if it’s open
you might take
a different 
rather uncanny step
and learn to swim