Marie Harris

writer, poet, voice

  • Words in Progress
  • Voiceovers
  • Poet in the Classroom
  • Contact Me
    • Contact
    • Links
  • Anthologies
  • Poetry
  • Children’s Books
  • Essays & Articles
  • Projects & Performances

Where We Live

March 10, 2016 Leave a Comment

Dear Sergio:

The Great Blue Heron flew over the house shortly before dawn this morning with its raucous announcement: the others will be returning to the tall dead trees in the swamp to begin the spring refurbishing of the nests…large constructs of dead branches lined with fine twigs and green leaves. “Remote, inaccessible situations are favored.”

This is where we live. In the woods abutting that swamp. In a house we built section-by-section by hand. Time was, this was a remote and almost-inaccessible place, particularly in the dead of winter with snow drifts blocking the paths or in March when the dirt roads thawed into hubcap-deep mud. The town center—not much more than a general store, two churches, a fire station, a post office and a two-pump gas station—seemed further away than the actual four miles that separated us. And Portsmouth, the coastal city twenty miles to our east, was a place we visited only with a clear purpose and some preparation.

Two decades later, everything has changed in predictable ways. Paved roads leading to parkways and highways. More people. Housing developments. New schools. Traffic lights. Restaurants. Banks.

Two decades later, not everything has changed. Dawn light filters through the forest and turns the evening violet and orange. The bowl of the night sky contains the moon and stars undimmed. The length of the Isinglass River still runs freely, clear and teeming with trout. Fall frosts fire the maples and oaks. Winter blizzards leave us wrapped in silence. Spring urges sap upwards and we borrow a few gallons to preserve as syrup. And early summer will see the new heron chicks fledge and depart. Our house in winter

Today, as winter melts into damp March, I am writing from these coordinates. On a computer connected to cable and wifi. With a small fire in the cookstove, and a glass of wine on my desk. I will be sending this letter to you in Seville via email. I can even attach a photo, so I shall. With warm thoughts.

Lat: 43.22°N Lon: -71.04°W Elev: 308ft. Rain Fog/Mist 57°F/14°C

Filed Under: Words in Progress Tagged With: birds, Charter Weeks photographer, maple sugaring

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Words in progress

Alice James Books birds boxing catechism Catholic girlhood Charter Weeks photographer childhood Christmas cockfights Collaborations Corvette creches Essays family histories flash fiction Inaugural Poems lit zines love poetry maple sugaring maple syrup marriage New Hampshire poets NH Poet Laureate NH State Council on the Arts Niger poetry Portsmouth Poet Laureate Projects & Performances Public Art Projects Puerto Rico Sahara Sahel sandstorm Santas school programs seasonal peculiarities travel Valentine's Day

A Poet for Your Bookshelf, Classroom, or Library

Welcome! Come on in and browse through my books of poetry, anthologies I’ve edited and in which my poems appear, and some essays and articles on subjects ranging from blue water sailing to New England farm stays to birding. You can also find photos of my collaborations with painters, sculptors, photographers and musicians. Listen to audio clips of a sampling of my voiceover work.

As a poet, I perform and teach at colleges & universities throughout the country, and in residencies in elementary and high schools, libraries, writers’ workshops and retreats, and senior centers. Read More…

Words in Progress

Walking Song

WALKING SONG …reminding herself that she was only an elderly woman who had got up too early in the morning and journeyed too far, that the despair creeping over her was merely her despair, her personal weakness, and that even if she got a sunstroke and went mad the rest of the world would go […]

My Brother is Gone from Us

Basil Harris (pictured with sister Anne, summer 2016) He died today. Farewell, sweet singer.

Connect

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Archives

  • December 2019
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • September 2011
  • October 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • April 2009
  • September 2007
  • January 2006

Copyright © 2023 Marie Harris - Writer, Poet, Voice | 603.664.7654