Angel Island
The fairies rode the ferry to Angel Island
Whimsical beauty of the Miwok land
Lush Claytonia hillsides,
Vibrant bulb potato stands, blue along every trail
Tempted to find a digging stick & tend the patches
I walk on, compelled by the stories of
The “immigration center” which is around the bend
Of the detained Chinese men
Whose poems of reckoning Carved into the barracks walls
Remain to this day
When we are collectively,
Still deconstructing our history
Dismantling the illusion of white supremacy
When a wild one wanders past
We lock eyes & dance in the tracking
Each other’s movements closely
Observed, felt, tethered
Urban wilderness musings
As the sun sinks in the West,
We board the Mariope
Named after the Pleiadean star sister
Who fell in love with a mortal
Coyotes howling a farewell
We set sail
And I, lover of islands with the wind at my back,
Feel the gestation of my trilogy ripening in my soul
Prepared to tell the tale
Of when humans healed & thrived
While my dear one’s water broke
Gushing urgency, gravity of rivers surging
Maternal tides flow
A Spring baby is born
This poem tells the true story of a most amazing day in March 2022. I began the day with a ferry to angel island with my dear, and very pregnant friend Deirdre, who I stayed with for several weeks to support her before and after her labor.
On the island, I met her sailor friends, who were celebrating a birthday, and who had sailed to the island from the East Bay. My son’s class had visited Angel Island in the Winter, and since then I had been somewhat obsessed with getting myself there.
I walked around the island, reflected on this historic place, and grappled with all of its complexity while very much enjoying the beauty of the day. At one point, I came to a turn in the road and there was a coyote, who held eye contact before leaping into the bushes (see a little video I made of this encounter below).
Too concerned about starting labor on the boat to sail home, Deirdre returned by way of the ferry, and I went with her fairy friends on their boat for a delightful sunset sail back.
My next series of novels have kind of a lot to do with sailing. I’ve been trying to get more sailing experience under my belt as I write the books, and suffice to say, being able to be on a boat did wonders for my writing ambitions! My novels are about the topic of how humans can collectively thrive, and I’m thrilled to be writing them!
Deirdre’s hubby picked me up from the marina, and we went to pick up Thai food for dinner. We walked in the door to a very glowing Deirdre, who declared after a series of hugs that her waters had broken.
Off to the hospital they went while I stayed home with her doggies and awaited the good news of the coming of the babe, which happened the next morning!
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