Throw me toward the setting sun-- to the West, when my work is done. Land me at the golden door of Californiaβs northern shore. Fiery orange steel-gird gate tempts those weary of their fate. Defy the plunge that ends it all, and heed the sunshineβs cheery call. Traverse the gate, into the wild, where restless souls may rest awhile, beyond the towns, toward the coast, where whales return and hawks will roost. The golden hills of Sonoma will calm the pains of any trauma. The wines and vines of the Napa valley will help to pass the time happily. And as you cross the Golden Gate the Pacific blue will calmly wait. Glance to the east and you will see the placid Bay by the white city. The sky is bigger here; it spans the hills, the bridge, the bay and ocean. Its azure grandeur soon dispels any suicidal notion.
The Golden Gate Bridge is the world's number one suicide spot, which has always seemed ironic to me, as the stunning views from the Bridge, and also the view of the Bridge (and the Bay, the ocean and the city) from the Marin headlands I find to be life-affirming. But then suicide isn't usually a rational act.