A selection from The Strait by Andrew Jarvis, finalist for the 2014 Homebound Publications Poetry Prize. The Strait explores sensory experiences gleamed from the natural environment, historic traditions, archaeological findings, and folklore of the Pacific Northwest. Jarvis presents a spiritual and honest landscape rich with images and metaphors that define our place in this beautiful, multicultural world and what it means to be human. The poems move from mystical shores to haunting woodlands, a multifaceted exploration of the imaginary and the real.
The Finding
This is the corner
of River Drive and Spruce Street.
That is grandfather in front.
He liked salmon. The smoke
would fill his wrinkled nose
with wood and sea delights.
His pants are loose and reveal
his legs, each one rocked by sea.
A wave did it, grabbed him
in undertow, scraped the skin away.
That black is blood. The dirt
falls away, but blood sticks.
You can see it
on his shoes, the leather worn
like the seal he found
rolling on sand and moaning.
There are three islands, the smallest
sticking out like oyster lips.
We do not go there, but he
always swam to the small one
knowing it was the end,
the place where bearded die.
You can see it in his eyes,
his finding at the farthest point.
The Strait
Poems by Andrew Jarvis
List Price: $15.95