Three Poems for Monadnock Community Land Trust
by Patrice Pinette
Jul, 2021
Birch
May I call you sister, my neighbor, whose calm
at the core should be mine. I want your stillness,
the slightest rustle of feather-veined leaves
in the breeze, to be unafraid of danger, thunder
and lightning in the woods. Or do you shiver,
as I do? Growing older, I dream of slipping
out of my green dress for gold, then to be brave,
fine boned and patient in the cold. Bed of winter.
Rooted at last in something vaster than myself.
What essence passes from one life to another?
What language might we share of roots and reach,
shade and shimmer. Silver. By midsummer,
when wild roses bloom, your bark, marked
by subtle script, curls, peels back. Pages turning.
Hearthstone
We come for simplicity,
harmony with land and sky,
a dream, a drive, a need,
a knowing from inside
a parcel of the world
we can walk by trails
at twilight—shadows
in dialogue, human and owl
calling back and forth
until the clearing.
We call this land home,
intimate, not owned.
From boulders of snow
to star-strewn paths
of mountain laurel,
our senses keep time,
catch scents of coming
storms mingled with woodsmoke,
hemlock after rain, roses,
mown grass—taking in
sweetness and breathing out
awe for all that’s come
before us. Glacial shaping
gave the earth its contours,
borders. Old stone walls
tell stories. Don’t forget
the oak harvest, how
the horse-logger’s blind horse
led the way beyond
our woods, as we made
an inroad into wildness.
We practice balance walking
labyrinths, one drawn on earth
and another etched into the heart.
Trouble is, even quiet minds
bring old fears, and nearsighted
cares can snare one another;
secrets kept come into play.
Nothing escapes place, acres
deep, but becomes it, and
evolves. Listening to dialects
of the elements, we heal
by calendula, bee balm,
and birdsong at dawn.
Neighboring creatures
cross the land to their own
purposes—deer, opossums,
hawks and crows, bears,
skunks, turkeys and coyotes.
From cold snaps to heat
waves, the winds pass
through, refreshing, bending,
breaking, and scattering dust, leaves,
film of pollen on the fire pond
rippling out and back from
man-made banks.
Enamored every day
by turn of seasons, we wait
to see what’s possible.
We come to be alive, not
innocent. Change, unchanging,
soothes and outwaits us,
yielding what it must,
remaining, but for love,
untouched. In the meadow,
milkweed seeds burst
and drift into fertile beds
to rest and take root.
Exchanging breath in a web
so all-inclusive, even this
handful of houses, blessed
and bowed by births and deaths
is held and holding steady,
letting go of one world
for another, by the flower.
Still, for all that, and because
our shadows lengthen, rays also fall,
not only on stone walls and forest floor,
but slant through us, like the nature
of a truth we come to find—
transforming what we thought
we knew—until more gentle
and fiercely clear, flawed, finite,
and deeply grateful, we belong here.
Prayer to the Land
You are good to us
we try
loving you
to do our best for the next
generations
and for you
we turned the brown hillside
green
glad to return a favor
small gestures
humbled as we are
by you
you must know
we speak and listen deeply
to your voices
and to your leanings
to glean how far to go
with you
seeding gardens
making glades
in the near woods
where more light can stream
through
and into you
until we turn off the last
lamp
still awake to the forest
breathing
the endless presence
of you
Patrice Pinette is inspired by alchemy between the arts in her own practice and in collaboration with others. She currently teaches at Antioch University New England and the New Hampshire Humanities Connections Program. Patrice received her MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and her poems have appeared in Poet Showcase: An Anthology of New Hampshire Poets; The Inflectionist Review; Allegro Poetry Magazine; The Hampden-Sydney Poetry Review; Adanna Literary Journal; Poetica; Connecticut River Review; Evening Street Review; Snapdragon: A Journal of Art and Healing, COVID Spring / Granite State Pandemic Poems, and elsewhere.
The mission of the Monadnock Community Land Trust is to hold land in trust for the larger community. We promote ecologically responsible use of that land and offer possibilities for affordable housing for low to moderate income families. Our intention is to protect the environment, promote the health and vitality of local communities, and promote diversity by offering access to land.