Living near to downtown San Antonio two years ago, I experienced the feeling of the old and the new. I sat out on my deck early one morning before the sun came up, and heard the old city wake up. I wrote this as I sat there one that morning.

Dawn in San Antonio

As the night goes from dark to dawn
The velvet darkness fades
The sky is hidden and soon the light
Will shine from the east
I sit here in the dark on my deck
In warm San Antonio as the
Faint silvery tinkle of wind chimes
Next door is pleasant and
A breeze begins to stir the air.

It is warm this morning
Another day of hot winds and the
Heat scorching the pavements
I hear one bird beginning to chirp and
Soon they’ll all be awake
And be clamoring around the bird feeders
Looking for food

I hear a city bus go down the street
And I know it is time
For working people to be awake
And start the day
I hear a lonesome dove somewhere.
Where are his friends?
They are usually so many loudly cooing
And calling to each other

The air feels warm and clammy
And the humidity of this old city
Is something I am not accustomed to
Since I have been back after
So many years

I sit here in the heart of San Antonio
And I think about it
Sprawling out from the center
Down by the river
Where the Alamo sits like a regal
Old lady watching her family
Move about and start the day

The sparkling new buildings
In the suburbs reaching out to
The north into the Hill Country,
And the low rolling hills
Of the southern parts of the city
Try to make the city look
New and prosperous

But it is still an old city with history
Of wars and violence and killings
And saloons and drinking and
Prostitution but also romance,
Love and hope, fiestas, large
Family gatherings with
Enchiladas, beans, rice and singing
And the promise of a future
Better than the old times

This morning it seems like
A sleepy old Mexican not yet
Ready to wake up and venture
Out to life in the city.

As I sit here in the semi darkness
I see the light beginning to glow
In the east, and now I can see
To write in this journal
The warm darkness is
Beginning to fade
And I am sure that light
Will give me hope for this day

I don’t want to leave this
Warm darkness that envelops me
Like a blanket and a slight breeze
Begins to cool my face
And I hear the rustling of the leaves
In the old pecan tree
Above me, and I know that God
Is here with a promise
Of a lovely day for me to remember
In Old San Antonio


Lois Zook Wauon
August 2006