Dr. Linda Opyr
Distant shore you dreamed from a far-off land
Before you waved away all you knew
Lifted anchor, set sail –
Bright star above to guide
When there would be guiding.
I am your history
The creaking of wood, snapping of cloth
Till feet fell upon a foreign earth
And you claimed it for your own.
I am rabbit, fox, owl, hawk – turtle
The tribes before you
Fish and fowl, crop and kettle, wood and axe
Both hope and heartache, trust and fear.
“Manhasset,” I called. “Massapequa.”
“Freeport,” you answered. “Farmingdale.”
What I knew, you guessed.
What you knew, I imagined.
Meadowbrook, Wantagh
Seaford-Oyster Bay
We would find each other.
I am your history
Promise of days gone by
Prayer for times to come.
I kneel before you
Spread my cloth at your feet
Ask that you believe –
In the shimmer of these threads
The light of a bright star.
There to guide when there would be guiding.
Dr. Linda Opyr was named Nassau County's 2011-13 poet laureate on June 12.