The Cape of Good Hope

There is a place in South Africa where the Indian and Atlantic oceans meet
They come across the globe spanning hundreds of miles and they meet
All the life, the wild nature, the stories and deaths and adventures, are all brought together
Against all odds and intuitive thought, they are brought together, and they meet
And yet, they still stand,
Or -er- swim, at odds with each other
You can stand on that cape and look out and be able to see clearly, one in blue and one in green, with apposing tides, two oceans, separate from each other, even as they meet

There have been many days were the currents of my life have felt like that tide
A million minor and major miracles bringing two families together over and over again
In Poland
And Persia
And England
And the Upper East side
And the far South Africans rocks
With the Far Rockaway clothe
To make this one person
This one line amidst an ocean
That is both comfortable with the tastes of palocharash and gefilta fish on her tongue
That sports proud Persian brows set on skin as white as milk
Has a mind of thought and a heart of feeling that fight against and for each other
Who wants to live her days immersed in The Good Book and in a good book
Who’s strong stance looks both into the green and blue and can’t claim this landmark belongs more to either
She has always worn two hats, this one cape, this one girl
She has always felt somewhere in between

There is a common misconception that this cape in South Africa is the one known as ‘The Cape of Good Hope’
But maybe the fact that that isn’t true doesn’t change why it’s important
Maybe “Good Hope” is what it means to be in between
It means not getting to be either
But also not having to be either
Being everything and nothing means you could be anything
It means you stand as a symbol of beating the odds,
Of the hand of God orchestrating this all,
That the hopes and lives and trials and triumphs of thousands of separate human experiences were all fruitful
Because they led to this one
And from this one, a thousand more mini miracles will occur to make thousands of more beautiful lives
Like the tides that hit to make that white line amidst two oceans
And are forced back out to make a million more waves
Everything has to come together and move apart,
And you stand as a symbol of all that that can be.