On a rock by the sea,
On a sea-rock sat he,
Alone with the waves and the sky,
And his eyes, they were shut
As he listened to—what?
The tone of the winds that sigh.
On a rock by the sea,
On a sea-rock sat he,
Alone with his purpose and time.
And his thoughts edged awake
With the flight he would take
When he gathered his soul into rhyme.
Life’s decision was made,
And he sat, unafraid,
As he lifted his voice to the sea,
“O my symbol of song,
Ever great, ever strong,
Be your spirit a glory in me.”
Then up naked he stood,
In a body so good,
Like his will that was happy and grand,
And like wind that is free
On out over the sea,
He stretched up his gold-cupping hand.
And the wind in the cup,
It up-lifted it up,
And he squeezed it full tight in a fist.
“I will write day and night
Of life’s truth-way delight,
As the love of my days do insist.
“With my soul’s self-control
I will sing me out whole
And will live self-fulfilled till I die.”
Then the wind made a moan
For the future, alone,
When this mightiest light said ‘goodbye’.
On a rock by the sea,
On a sea-rock stood he,
Once a boy, who was suddenly man.
Then with clothes gathered on
He walked off through the dawn,
And the poems of the poet began.
Brian Royce Faulkner 
He stretched forth his slight-cupping hand.
And the wind in the cup,
It up-lifted it up,
And he squeezed it full tight in a fist.
“I will write day and night
Of my truth made delight,
As the love of my life does insist.
And the last stanza. The last stanza came as a surprise, but soon as read, it had to be.
Thank you, Brian.
You’re welcome, Bob.
These lines took me back to the scene when Roark stood naked at the edge of the cliff, soon after his expulsion…One of the most inspiring act…In tribute to Ayn…
Yes, when I finished the last stanza I thought of Roark, and saw the similarity, though I hadn’t intended it.
“Once a boy, who was suddenly man.
Then with clothes gathered on
He walked off through the dawn,
And the poems of a poet began.”
And it is about you as well…
“at nineteen I was on a Greyhound bus to New York with $50.00 in my pocket”
Yes. I didn’t tell anyone. I just bought a ticket and left.