My book, Water Over Time: A Collection of Stories and Poems, has a theme. I was 13 when I moved with my family to Guam. I didn’t know what to expect. What I found was an entire culture different from what I had known. The stories and poems in this collection were written after a visit back to the island in 2010. Since time had moved on, Guam had changed, but one thing I knew, I had to write about my experience, because it had changed me. Below is my favorite poem from the book.
He Taught Me How
Sailing was my father’s
cure for island fever
Hug the tiller tight
he’d say
watch the boom
as we turn about
My father was a great joker
know why it’s called a boom?
because when it hits your head
BOOM
All day we’d sail
till the sea flattened to glass
and the sun setting on the horizon
winked green
Do you see the green flash
my father would ask
as if our sailing bliss
depended upon my answer
Yes I see
I still do
Now, I have in mind a new theme because I’ve written several poems about my visits to the Feather River in Twain. Stay in touch for more.
I remember the green flash!