|
devils cape, oregon 2003
i tell you we must walk on…to the cape
because it will be worth it
it is always better at the water’s edge,
a refreshing change from the land
and its expectations
we had already winded down st. perpetua,
snuck and climbed through spruce
like curious visitors from the midwest,
you found snail shells, yellow & white
to give to jack, now three,
an educational gift of bark pieces
with tiny particles of lichen
and photos of mushrooms larger than our hands
we have come this far, what is another 1.5 miles?
i say at the edge of the blue whale visitor's center
so we walked on, until
white foam peaked on the black, rocky shore
giving hundreds of tide pools new life
every thirty seconds
mass of volcanic rock, centuries old
wailed like a sea lion
when enticed ocean water thrust into an aperture
and fired sea spray forty feet into the air
i turn to you, realizing that
we always walk on
never turning back to ask for directions
or, to question why
instead, we take our time
admire the view and
happen upon little gifts
that change our lives forever
Hollie Messinger currently resides in Lincoln, Nebraska. Recently she has moved home from Oregon.
She is a retail advertising consultant for the Lincoln Journal Star. In her past, she dabbled with poetry and art
journals and has decided it is time to get out there again into the literary world.
A recent visit to a local reading by Ted Kooser inspired her. Ascent Aspirations Magazine also inspires her.
Email: Hollie Messinger
Return to Table of Contents
|