Chelan, in Salish
it means “deep water.”
Innumerable pieces of our hearts
are folded there
into its blue waves.
They scallop toward us in dreams
reflecting the rugged green
of shoreline firs and pines,
little houses dotting the hillside,
boat slips bouncing near the shore.
The cabin cradled
in the hillside above it
echoes from the sound
of all we shared there,
our infant family
now grown large.
Memories, thick
as the blueberry pies
made from our fresh pick—
of our cooler filled
with sandwiches and apples,
our little open bow boat
filled with sunscreen
and laughter.
We lost sunglasses to Tsi-Laan—
t-shirts, frisbees, our hearts,
to the deep of it.
And those surrounding hills,
clothed in golden summer velvet
above the tree line,
get swallowed up in its crystal hue,
the way we always do—
the swell of memories
in a wake behind us,
floating on a dream.
For Melissa’s prompt at dVerse using the artwork of Alma Thomas. I used her Light Blue Nursery (1968) pictured above.
Wonderful, I can see this place come alive in the painting. So beautifully nostalgic. It's magic how you have wielded your words into the colours. Love it!
ReplyDeleteMakes me smile. A beautiful poem and a wonderful tribute to so many great memories
ReplyDeleteA beautiful response to the image, Jennifer! I love the use of active verbs, which bring it alive, such as ‘scallop toward us in dreams’ and ‘boat slips bouncing near the shore’. I especially love the simile ‘memories, thick as the blueberry pies made from our fresh pick’.
ReplyDeleteThis poem put a smile on my dial. It floats beautifully on your interpretation of the art.
ReplyDeleteAs a native and nearly lifelong resident of the Great Lakes State, I will, with difficulty, refrain from breaking out the Leo DiCaprio smirk meme. << Such nonsense aside, your poem is alive with the vibrant details of a place and time that has left a part of itself in you, and you in it. Such places and shared experiences--especially when viewed through the lens of time and change--form the bones of who we are and what matters to us. I can't think of better stuff to create a poem from and yours conveys all of it to us, your lucky readers.
ReplyDeleteSuch vibrant memories and you make them magical with your word wizardry. Beautiful as always, Jennifer.
ReplyDeleteA lovely miracle of a poem.
ReplyDelete“Innumerable pieces of our hearts
are folded there
into its blue waves.”
I find these lines especially striking. I really like the way the waves reflect the shoreline and everything on it, we are all floating on that dream. Thanks so much for writing to the prompt, Jennifer!💙
"And those surrounding hills,
ReplyDeleteclothed in golden summer velvet
above the tree line,
get swallowed up in its crystal hue,"
I love what you discovered in this painting.
This is a stunning poem with all the details of the growing family, the place of shoreline firs and pines. Love the golden and lost memories of the place along with the colors specially the blue.
ReplyDeleteA lush poem, lush with memory's fruits and waves of remembrance that carry us along upon the beautiful "chelan" of the heart. You have woven another masterpiece, Jen, that's a true pleasure to read.
ReplyDelete