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September 15th, 2026
San Francisco Poetry Contest #2 – First Place
by Waide Riddle
(For Jennifer Baggett Gattis, who inspired this poem, but who is no longer with us)
The sun is shining this perfect morning.
There is a Pacific breeze blowing... gently… through my open window.
I'm at ease even before I step out to get my first cup of coffee.
At first, I thought my mother's gentle whisper woke me up, but no, it was the sun nudging me to take on the world.
A trolley bell and cable car outside push me forward and inspire me.
Stepping out into the smiling sun, it hits my face with warmth and happy feelings and shines fun upon my shoulders – I feel promise and I feel positive.
Sure, I can see the challenges and problems, but who can't? Those will always be there.
But, I choose to see today's glorious sun. The Future. A city of so many layers and colors and heights and depths.
Behind me, I hear a young man singing to himself – Yeah! he's got the Sun in his voice!
He's singing the Mamas & Papas California Anthem, California Dreamin.
It's soothing to my ears. I can only imagine the energy in the San Francisco coastal air when the musical airwaves first embraced and danced to the rhythms and harmonies of the song.
Haight/Ashbury was the mecca for songwriters, poets, artists...
Critics say it's gone, never to return or come back, well, I differ. I say they're wrong.
I say it's still here, there, and everywhere around me, you, and everyone.
It overflows bountiful on days like this.
The sun is the artist. It sings. It writes. It sculpts, and the city responds. It's what we make it.
Just ask Scott McKenzie.
And, if you don't know who he is, then just put some flowers in your hair and start walking on air and just feel it.
Today is summer and sun.
Tomorrow is Autumn and gold, orange, and yellow leaves adrift above like a soft, light rainfall.
Winter is Stardust and will decorate the streets in glitter and cold charm, bringing with it a multitude of holidays.
Spring sees rebirth. Flower power blooms. Fresh. New. Promise.
Summer again. Today. Now.
I look up into the shine of the sun, Love on my face. It warms my shoulders and I can only see promise. I naturally smile and say, Good morning, San Francisco!
The metropolis and sunshine continue to nudge me forward and push me forward. Only to discover new and uncharted roads, streets, highways, and bi-ways. The challenge is profound.
I naturally smile and say, Walk with me!
About the Poet
Waide Riddle resides in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Read the poet's biography and Wax Poetry and Art publications
on Waide Riddle's Artist Page.
This poem is featured in Poetry World #16, published in the Wax Poetry and Art Library.
Keywords: san francisco love letter
Previously published in San Francisco Poetry Magazine:
Intuition vs. Logic
by Brooke Brownlee
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