Poetry
Winter 2021
photo by Thomas Noland
photo by Thomas Noland
POETRY
Autumn 2021
SACRED ONES
by Diane Moser
Outside my window
cedars lift their needled arms
salute a damp sky.
I inhale their pungent smell of pitch
and mold
and a thousand showers.
They tell ancient stories
of moccasined feet,
of arrowheads scattered like stars,
of canoes carved from their brothers.
Trailing mossy skirts they dance
among fern and mushroom
claiming their birthright.
Oh sacred ones
tell me your secrets.
SACRED ONES
by Diane Moser
Outside my window
cedars lift their needled arms
salute a damp sky.
I inhale their pungent smell of pitch
and mold
and a thousand showers.
They tell ancient stories
of moccasined feet,
of arrowheads scattered like stars,
of canoes carved from their brothers.
Trailing mossy skirts they dance
among fern and mushroom
claiming their birthright.
Oh sacred ones
tell me your secrets.
photo by John F. Williams
Squall
by Al Gunby
Water turns from blue to green to grey,
as whitecaps grow and sail toward the north,
announcing evening’s storm upon the glacier gouge
the British captain called the Hood,
the western fishhook of the Salish Sea.
The gauzy curtain races into view,
the rain begins, the sea waves disappear,
the world now reduced from miles to feet,
then twenty minutes’ passage brings the sun,
the sea to green and blue, the pageant done.
painting by Susan Morgridge
The Felling
by Al Gunby
Our sentinel is down.
The tallest tree around
now lies in pieces where it fell,
shattered top and twelve-inch rounds remain
to testify to its great age.
Another cedar takes
the role of patriarch.
The Felling
by Al Gunby
Our sentinel is down.
The tallest tree around
now lies in pieces where it fell,
shattered top and twelve-inch rounds remain
to testify to its great age.
Another cedar takes
the role of patriarch.
painting by Susan Morgridge
Snag
by Al Gunby
It stands above the crumbling bank, a lonely
observation post for white-crowned eagle,
noisy crow, a remnant of the woods
that once were carpet on the land but now
remain as ghettos in ravines that guide
the rain down to the sea.
How long have wind and rain assailed this tree,
this sentinel? Perhaps its sprout was witness
to the passage of Vancouver’s ships.
Perhaps first people rested in its shade,
canoes of cedar piled with crab and shellfish
on the stony beach.
photo by John F. Williams
Diane Moser lives on the Kitsap Peninsula overlooking the beautiful Olympic Mountains where a lifetime of observation is reflected in her poetry.
Her poems have appeared in Civilization In Crisis, Poems For Las Vegas, Poetry Expressions, Ars Poetica and her new chapbook, View from My Window.
Al Gunby finds inspiration from the experiences of his youth and from the images that pop up every day. A retired nuclear/aerospace engineer, he keeps balance in his life by writing, singing and acting. He has participated for many years in Poetry Corners and Ars Poetica and published Lady Hood, a poetic celebration of Hood Canal. He says, “poetry is the best thing going…and it’s low-cost and non-fattening.”
From 2009-2011, when Susan Morgridge was fortunate to teach in Lebanon, she vowed to paint her own art for the walls in her apartment. Doing those paintings renewed her interest in creativity. Recently retired after 35 years of teaching, she finally now has time to “play” — with watercolor as her chosen medium.
Table of Contents, Issue #14, Winter 2021
Nearshore Regulars
Artwork by Karen Hackenberg Photos by Michael F. Adamsblack oystercatcher photo by Michael AdamsArtwork by Karen Hackenberg Photos by Michael F. Adamsfrutti di mare My original, hand-drawn, lithograph prints of the Frutti di Mare Suite, titled Calamari and Baby...
Haiku-14
by Drea Dangerton, Winter 2021 photos by John F. Williams except as notedby Drea Dangerton, Autumn 2021 photos by John F. Williams except as notedToday I awokeAsking what adventure isIn store for this day.. Snowy meadow pathsReveal its...
Berries
by Sara Noland, Winter 2021 Photos by Thomas Noland except where notedphoto by John F. WilliamsBy Sara Noland, Winter 2021 Photos by Thomas Noland except where noteda late afternoon in mid-december Cold rain drizzles down, glazing everything in a silvery sheen. Around...
Let’s Try It
some novel additions By "novel additions" I do not mean that we're adding novels to Salish Magazine, at least not yet — despite the fact that I have come to realize that novels are actually one of the few good ways to convey things as complex as our ecosystems....
Visits Underwater
by Ed Gullekson, Winter 2021By Ed Gullekson, Winter 2021see the salish sea This first video was shot at one of the most popular dive sites in Washington. It is called Cove 2 and is located along the shoreline of West Seattle looking across Elliott Bay at downtown...
Pink Salmon
by John Gussman, Winter 2021By John Gussman, Winter 2021introduction I have spent many years filming the various salmon species on the Olympic peninsula, and this year I managed to get quite a bit of usable pink salmon footage in the Dungeness River. Not wanting to do...
Driftwood Beach Houses
by John F. Williams, Winter 2021 Photos by John F. Williams except where notedBy John F. Williams, Winter 2021 Photos by John F. Williams except where notedintroduction Many beaches around the Salish Sea are decorated with driftwood; some of which is from branches or...
Birds Catching Stuff
Photos by Michael F. Adams, except as noted Captions by Thomas NolandPhotos by Michael F. Adams except as noted Captions by Thomas Nolandcommon goldeneye These ducks are cavity nesting birds that often use the same tree cavity in successive years. The goldeneyes are...
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Thanks so much for your interest and your support.