Anacortes Poem by Madathil Rajendran Nair
Anacortes
Once touted as the New York of the West,
grand terminus for a Pacific rail route,
Anacortes lay casting her spell
on tourists who dared the Skagit west.
Christened after Anne Curtis,
an early settler's wife,
a dreamer with a vision for the place,
who threw all he had into its chase.
Refineries across the Fidalgo Bay
still fumed the chagrin of those days;
yet, the town never failed to beam
and invite tourists with her luring gleam.
A voyeur November Sun
peeped through a veil of clouds
on to the lovely contours of her anatomy,
as seagulls laughed and hooted in merry.
Tourists meandered along
her quadrilateral streets,
hunting for curios,
inebriate to the hilt on diverse ales.
Restaurants that lined the street-side
worked on exotic salads and fries,
where visitors would soon hole up
at noon to gorge on delicious meals.
A roadside tree now leafless
still had some red berries,
a departed summer's after-thought;
two crows perched nearby
leaving them untouched.
Down the road at the marina
an imposing wreck of a schooner lay,
La Merced her forgotten name,
now totally overgrown by bushes,
an abode for vagrant creatures.
The portal to the ferry-docks
had a list of missing persons,
fondly remembered and yet
there wasn't anyone around
to narrate what really happened.
Yet, ferries waited a few yards away
eager to connect
to British Columbia
and the islands on the west,
San Juans, Orcas, Lopez and the like.
Anacortes lay, a dream of the past,
beauty of the Pacific,
with a reinvented charm,
a welcoming bosom
for paradise-seekers
and Lotos Eaters
on the islands of the Ocean.
(Image courtesy: Getty Images)
stanza 1 I assume the " dreamer" was the husband. His wife was awake. i enjoyed " A voyeur... Sun" line 16 i'd end it " hooted, merry" or " hooted merrily" st.5 inebriated (adj. form, not verb) st.7 I like " summer's after-thought" st.9 " missing persons" murdered or shanghaied? topics? I think " places" fits much more than other two to MyPoemList bri ;)
Anne Curtis Bowman, who was the wife of early Fidalgo Island settler Amos Bowman, is kept in memory and the city's name became Anacortes. Refineries across the Fidalgo Bay are fumed. You have nicely captured the beauty of the city. Lotos Eaters on the islands of the Ocean looks so beautiful. Excellent expression makes this poem very reader-attractive. This signifies your deep perception abut this city...10
From your description we guess that it is an exotic place worth visiting. The poet's eye for detail is evident even in the minute constituents of the wayside scenes like; A roadside tree now leafless still had some red berries, a departed summer's after-thought. Indeed powerful observation all through!
From your description we guess that it is an exotic place worth visiting. The poet's eye for detail is evident even in the minute constituents of the wayside scenes like; A roadside tree now leafless still had some red berries, a departed summer's after-thought. Indeed powerful observation all through!
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/16/2024 6:22:51 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Nice one ☝️