POET OF THE WEEK
Mary Rose O’Reilley
Week of July 10
Back to your body of water collection
78/365
78/365
Baptism in the Salish Sea
In the name of the sun
and the moon
and the holy earth,
protect, Grandson,
the J-pod orcas,
killdeer, all kin.
Honor your mothers,
sea star, cedar.
Love grounds you,
be kind.
Touching a tumbled agate
to your tongue
I say as you lick salt:
This is the world.
Baptism in the Salish Sea
In the name of the sun
and the moon
and the holy earth,
protect, Grandson,
the J-pod orcas,
killdeer, all kin.
Honor your mothers,
sea star, cedar.
Love grounds you,
be kind.
Touching a tumbled agate
to your tongue
I say as you lick salt:
This is the world.
Mary Rose O’Reilley 72, Vashon
FAVORITE POETRY FORM Both spontaneity and a deep, secret structure are important to me.
DEAREST BODY OF WATER I have to go “home” every summer and lie down by Lake Superior.
TO PROTECT WATER As a beach naturalist, I’m out there in my Smoky Bear vest showing people the amazing things they might be stomping on.
EXPLORE MORE
Amharic | birth | blessing | Chinese | drought and thirst | family | home | if water could speak | Indigenous | justice | like water | local waters | love and loss | Lushootseed | memory | Northgate | oceans and seas | Punjabi | rain | rivers and lakes | Russian | Spanish | sweat and tears | swim | Tlingit | toilets and taps | transit | Vietnamese | we are water | wildlife | Youth
