Your poem was selected to represent the Chemainus library for Vancouver Island Regional Library’s poetry anthology 150 X 39. The goal of our anthology is to celebrate Canada 150 by capturing the character and flavour of the communities we serve through poems like yours.

The anthology will be printed and released at our launch party at the Harboufront Library on Saturday December 2 from 11am.

You will receive a copy of the anthology (either at the launch or mailed to your home branch if you are unable to attend in person) and your poem will be displayed in your local branch.

Can you please confirm your name exactly as you wish to have it printed in the anthology and the title of your poem.

Thank you again for contribution to our anthology and we hope to see you at the launch party.

Jonathon Bigelow
Harbourfront Branch
Creativitycommons@virl.bc.ca
250-753-1154 x.238

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The Ancients of Cowichan

 Whispers of old continental ice sheets
groaning fault lines and quietly folded rock
buried copper and quartz
smooth slopes and chunky mountains

old arthritic Garry Oak trees
all knobs and frozen angles
ancient standing witnesses in

once rich-green forests where First words
mingled with pine needles,
Douglas fir cones, yellow and red cedar,
arbutus and Sitka spruce

First names left in wonder on forest floors
now faded like autumn leaves

the Salish Sea fed First peoples
through the millennium
Today, spawning Cowichan salmon await more rain
before their great swim upstream

I arrived here too late, and know only
the ghostly remains of intense, indescribable beauty
and the naming from ancient flowing tongues

Zhouhalen

                 Somenos

                                  Koksilah

                                                   Chemainus

                                                                             Malahat

© Chris Beryl 2016

Island Woman Magazine   congratulates Chris Beryl who is a member of The Thursday Writers who’s regular  contributions greatly enrich our magazine. Thank you.

Trish Summerhayes,
Owner/Publisher Island Woman Magazine.

See all articles by The Thursday Writers