I live in an old fashioned neighborhood where we can walk to the grocery, the post office, the library and the river. What else does a girl need? Ok. Coffee shops—there are four that I can walk to. But to make it even sweeter, my neighborhood has bookstores.
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Our favorite bookseller just shared these pictures from an old book about Sauvies Island, a place that has nourished us in so many ways. The island is just a 15 minute drive from home. It’s where we pick blueberries, visit the osprey nests and heritage trees, pick pumpkins, watch migrating cranes, and sit by the river. It’s where we take a thermos of tea and cookies and bundle up against the wind on Holy Saturday.
Here’s a poem for you from last summer on the island.
An Altar in the Middle of Life Early mornings, the door is open to conjure the north wind and empty the house of night’s wet heat. I twine my legs against the door jam to keep the narrow cat inside. Later we’ll walk the length of the island, pick blueberries before the day warms. Then watch white lilies open in the heat, sleep all night at the open window, mark time by the moon, and light a candle when morning comes.
Adam, the bookseller, also has this fine edition of Dante available. Would you believe me if I told you that my kids were pooling their money and seeing if they could buy it? The illustrations in this edition are by Botticelli. Of course Botticelli painted Beatrice!
Tell me about the wild places that nurture you.
And here’s a printable version of the poem in case you want to slip it into your journal.
This was lovely. I want to hear more stories about your fantastically walkable neighborhood! We once lived near a town square like that and I pushed my baby in the stroller (he is now twelve years old) to get coffee or to stop by the post office to mail vintage dresses I was selling in my Etsy shop at the time. I think those post-office walks single-handedly helped me lose much of my pregnancy weight, in fact. I so enjoyed your chapbook of poems, by the way! Now I want to read “Elemental.” The poem you shared in this post is also wonderful. I dearly love your writing style.
Your island reminds me of Maiden’s Cliff outside Camden, Maine. We have gone blueberry picking there a few times (when we have been in Maine in July/August). It has beautiful views of a lake and wild blueberries. 🫐 We always revisit Blueberries for Sal around that time.