Photo Above: Valerie Lawson and Colin Brown at the DSF office
By Robin Pinto, DCC Board Vice President
Poetry enthusiasts from the DCC and the Downeast Salmon Federation recently gathered over wine and cheese at the Peter Gray Hatchery in East Machias to hear three poets perform some of their poetry and to celebrate the publication of the Writing The Land: Maine, the new anthology hosting 13 Maine land trusts and the 27 poets inspired by their adopted lands. In addition to wonderful poetry, the anthology includes information about the land trusts and their stimulating properties.
Roger Morton and Susanne Rancourt wrote a number of poems about DSF properties. Valerie Lawson, from Robbinston, produced three imaginative poems describing the land and waterscapes of DCC’s Reversing Falls Preserve. Valerie is a visual as well as literary artist. She has a remarkable gift for putting her experiences encountered in the landscape into language that we all can feel and ‘see’. We include for your reading pleasure one of Valerie’s poems below.
Photos: Roger Morton and Susanne Rancourt, DSF Poets and Valerie Lawson, DCC Poet performing at the Downeast Salmon Federation office
In Geologic Time
by Valerie LawsonYou hear the falls before you see them,
like a high wind sweeping through pine and fir.
Water cascades over the rock ledge, eddies swirl
on the surface, kapskuk, Passamaquoddy
for this place of boiling water anglicized to Cobscook.
Here wind and water are verbs, earth the object.
In geologic time, the terrain is new, shaping
and shaped. How does this land not break?
As we navigate the trail, there is something
about the tree roots underfoot, the knuckling hold
in the thin soil of the rocky ledges, the bleached bones
of a weathered cedar arcing gracefully, a final
arabesque before tumbling onto the shingle beach.
Each falling tree releases itself to the next generation:
nest snag, nurse log, seedling compost.
It is all connected, trees, water, wind, the rock we stand on,
the seals working the seams of water for fish, loons
in the lane beyond, we are all stitched together, convened
within the cupped hands of a protected space
holding the beating heart of this tidal engine.
The pack-in pack-out trail embraces a quiet cove.
The online comments encourage you to return,
to understand differently, to bring a picnic.
High and low tides change things. So do light and season.
There is nothing here to take away but contemplation,
your sense of wonder renewed. Dogs and kids welcome, too.
After the gathering Colin Brown, DCC’s Executive Director, expressed his excitement about this new kind of collaboration that brings combined visibility to both artists and spectacular places. “People are inextricably drawn to Downeast landscapes. By conserving these lands and ensuring public access, artists, like Valerie, are inspired by the world around them to create their stunning imagery. We wholeheartedly support local artists and writers in their creative pursuits and hope to offer more arts programs in the future.”
Copies of Writing the Land: Maine are available for purchase; proceeds from the book sales purchased through DCC will support further conservation and public access of DCC’s preserves. If you would like to order a book, please email: cathy@downeastcoastalconservancy.org.