17 April 2021 (midden)
Kristen Lindquist
Maine island birthday
he tosses a clamshell
onto the midden
Happy birthday, Paul! xo
Book of Days
BOOK OF DAYS: A POET AND NATURALIST TRIES TO FIND POETRY IN EVERY DAY
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Filtering by Tag: North Haven
August 1: North Haven
Kristen Lindquist
Posted with BlogsyAugust 15: Elizabeth Bishop Symposium
Kristen Lindquist
The North Haven (Island) Library hosted a symposium over the past two days celebrating Elizabeth Bishop, one of my favorite poets. I attended this morning's session, which entailed taking an early boat from Rockland and returning by ferry this afternoon, head full of thoughts about Bishop's life and poems, while across the water clouds piled up dramatically over the Camden Hills.
In honor of this event, I thought I'd give myself the exercise of starting off today's haiku with a line of Bishop's poem "North Haven":
Nature repeats herself--
waves rock the ferry,
storm-petrels weave among them.
In honor of this event, I thought I'd give myself the exercise of starting off today's haiku with a line of Bishop's poem "North Haven":
Nature repeats herself--
waves rock the ferry,
storm-petrels weave among them.
July 14: Sailing in sun and fog
Kristen Lindquist
My friend Jacob took me out in his sailboat today, a J40 named Ex Libris. We sailed from Rockland Harbor out to the Fox Islands Thorofare between North Haven and Vinalhaven, and then back to her home mooring in Camden Harbor. The fog settled in by the time we'd sailed past the Rockland Breakwater. We sailed on through it out to the islands, where it was a perfect, sunny summer day, then back through the fog bank to reach home, where the sun was also shining.
Sailing through the fog, with only the radar to tell you where you are, there's a sense of existing very much in the present. No geographic borders seem to exist and space seems transient, shifting with the waves and wind. I was reminded (in both a literal and figurative way) of the classical Japanese Buddhist concept of "the floating world," which refers to the ephemerality of our dream-like material existence.
Sailing through the fog, with only the radar to tell you where you are, there's a sense of existing very much in the present. No geographic borders seem to exist and space seems transient, shifting with the waves and wind. I was reminded (in both a literal and figurative way) of the classical Japanese Buddhist concept of "the floating world," which refers to the ephemerality of our dream-like material existence.
No horizon here,
just sea and fog--
our own floating world.
 |
| Fog bank and clouds above North Haven |
 |
| Camden Hills |
 |
| Boat in fog |
 |
| Approaching Camden Harbor |
May 11: Ospreys
Kristen Lindquist
Ah, life on the coast of Maine...
but an osprey
still cries overhead.
May 9: North Haven
Kristen Lindquist
My husband and I are spending the weekend on the island of North Haven in Penobscot Bay.
We walked in the rain
after I woke from a nap.
Everything felt new.
August 25: Boat in a Storm
Kristen Lindquist
The sky is looking glowery and the wind's picking up. A storm's on the way, and I'm not talking about Hurricane Irene (although that storm is also apparently on its way). And with this weather report, we're about to blithely board a boat to North Haven to enjoy dinner at Nebo Lodge. The boat captain brushed off inquiries about possibly canceling the trip due to weather, so we're ready for an adventure. I just hope that after our big meal on the island, our ride back isn't more adventurous than our stomachs can handle...
"Oh God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small." --Breton fishermen's prayer
We're small things at sea.
May the wind sing us to sleep
rocked in boat's cradle.
Update: The ride out with Equinox Island Transit was a little wet, but the sky cleared beautifully as we reached North Haven. After an excellent meal, we sped back to Rockland almost in time to miss the thunderstorm. Very dramatic to see from the water Owls Head Light and the Breakwater Light shining in the mist as lightning flashed around us and thunder rumbled overhead. And then, of course, the torrential rain, as if the spray from the boat ride hadn't made us wet enough. Truly exhilarating.
"Oh God, thy sea is so great and my boat is so small." --Breton fishermen's prayer
We're small things at sea.
May the wind sing us to sleep
rocked in boat's cradle.
Update: The ride out with Equinox Island Transit was a little wet, but the sky cleared beautifully as we reached North Haven. After an excellent meal, we sped back to Rockland almost in time to miss the thunderstorm. Very dramatic to see from the water Owls Head Light and the Breakwater Light shining in the mist as lightning flashed around us and thunder rumbled overhead. And then, of course, the torrential rain, as if the spray from the boat ride hadn't made us wet enough. Truly exhilarating.