Poet’s Corner

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When I almost left
By Valerie Sonnenthal

I arrived home taking it in
every manicured moment
a secret garden
just a rock off the mainland

drive down Middle Road
in the green sweet green of summer
relish every honeysuckle whiff
in the lap of nature

ocean breezes tickle Peaked Hill
birdsong waves and crunch crunch
fawns scramble under a Beetlebung grove
dogs grumble in the distance

made a home each of us value
there’s no replacing this sacred land
Island magic remains
here we intersect on common ground

coming and going between edges
trusting a steel belly bobbing
from shore to shore
sure of nothing beyond home

when I almost left
I turned toward the details
leaves, plants, dirt, sky
trees whispered above my head

what could be better than this
I asked myself each walk
each drive in the back of my mind
what could be better than this

Valerie Sonnenthal washed ashore in 2005, contributes to The MV Times, is a member of the Cleaveland House Poets, and owns Peaked Hill Studio, offering Sound Healing and Kaiut Yoga. She lives year-round in Chilmark with her family and beloved dogs.

Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to curator Laura Roosevelt at ldroosevelt@gmail.com.