This week, I interrupted my coastal California research to rush home to Nelson, B.C., where I received the honour of Cultural Ambassador for 2017. It was a rude climatic shift – from 60 f. to 0 f. (about 15 c. to -12 c.!) It was also a reminder of the wonder and beauty of the mountains that feed the headwaters of the 4th largest river in North America, the Columbia River.
The poem I wrote to mark the award:
How I do love you, Nelson.
your tilted streets ascend the mountain slope to
greet the forest
running up so cheerfully
as if
you two were friends who could learn from each other.
each morning
the Elephant waits patiently
for you
to come awake
with
the wonder that defines who you are
some winter afternoons
rosy light drifts down Evening Ridge to greet the night
the summer is a long wish away
yet
How I do love you, Nelson.
your lake’s mist-shrouded crowd
of glittering beauty
your granite spires softened by drifting snow
your stone-lined streets etched in seasonal shadow
you found me a place to live,
inspired meaning for my words,
held me as I found my way.
–Eileen Delehanty Pearkes
December 12, 2017
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