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Open Poetry #30
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Curse of Port Orford
| Open Poetry #30 |
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Curse of Port Orford |
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Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion 
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It is said that the wailing heard late at night is not the wind, but cries of the old squaw who spat a curse on this very spot where her son was murdered. To live in this coastal town is to endure constant winds and the starkness of the past. One comes as a guest, gusting in from the sea, battering tired faces of fishermen; the other stirs in dusts of ancient spit, spiraling motes of a plague put upon this land one hundred-fifty years past. Evil has been here, not only when colonizers came to squat on an island rock, to claim, without treaty, this land as their own, canons and rifles pitted against a peaceful band of the indigent Tuntuni; or when the township became an internment camp for the displaced, with soldiers marching women naked down the street in a rape game; or decades later, when a succession was staged in hopes to create a mythical state called Jefferson, armed men posted at either end of town to ensure their pure aim; or even now, as gentle folk come to call this home, suggesting history was falsified to hide guilt and shame, these newcomers run up against descendants who still cling to the ways of their fathers, threatened by change, still hanging thinly-veiled insults in windows and in the proud display of business names, such as the Klean Kare Kar shop on Main Street. All of this abuts a postcard backdrop of high surf smashing against Cape Blanco, and the lonely beauty of the unwatched lighthouse on the cliffs above. Dishonor swirls like sea mist. It comes to rest on branches of cedar and in the faces and hands of men caught between light and dark. © 2003 Core |
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| © Copyright 2003 Corinne - All Rights Reserved | |||
suthern
since 1999-07-29
Posts 20723Louisiana |
Chilling in it's clarity... deeds coming back to haunt... I like this! *S* |
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PsychoticBunni Member
since 2003-10-03
Posts 162Mythical Atlantis |
ooh. it's geting a little chilly in here! you give me shivers, girl!! Meg tragedy is cutting your finger. comedy is falling into an open sewer and dying. |
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Marge Tindal
since 1999-11-06
Posts 42384Florida's Foreverly Shores |
Corinne~ Positively captivating~ You tell the history so expertly~ This is my favorite read of this day~ *Huglets*  ~*Marge*~ ~*When the heart grieves over what it has lost, |
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Earth Angel Member Empyrean
since 2002-08-27
Posts 40215Realms of Light |
Corinne! You certainly made me sit up in my chair and take notice. I read it through quickly the first time because I wanted to read what was coming up next! The second time I read it slowly, taking it all in and appreciating the richness of your descriptive writing!  Big hugs for this fine piece of poetry! Linda |
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Martie
Moderator
Member Empyrean
since 1999-09-21
Posts 28049California |
Corinne...You always amaze me with your thoughtful intelligence that mixes so well with painting a scene so well that you put me there. Thank you for being a poet. |
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Krawdad Member Elite
since 2001-01-03
Posts 2597 |
Some of those gusts sound rather threatening. Take care! |
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Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion |
Thank you Southern! Thanks Meg! Big hugs, Marge! Visited this place last week, planning on a long weekend getaway, but found ourselves immersed in the town's history. Lot of bad juju there, a mistelling of written history (you still won't find the truth in writing anywhere but in a small sign at the battle site - I'll give you the link to the town) a former internment camp for displaced Native Americans -- at one time there were 1200 of them in the camp at one time. They were kept there until they could be transported to another concentration camp farther north. And the eventual arrival of the Klan to the town that still has a hold on some of the residents. Fascinating stuff, though. http://shirleyscapeblanco.com/battlerock2.html Thank you Linda! I just wish I could do the subject justice. Perhaps if I work on it enough! Martie, you are so kind, thank you! And you know I've always loved and respected your work! Thanks Krawdad! Corinne |
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passing shadows Member Empyrean
since 1999-08-26
Posts 45577displaced |
creepy  |
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SharaRose Member Elite
since 2003-07-19
Posts 2501Somewhere out there~ |
Very interesting write, and web page link. Things I didn't know, and was so cool to learn about. Thanks.  Love, Terri~  Well I will go down with this ship |
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Sunnyone Member Ascendant
since 2000-07-06
Posts 5334Staffordshire, England |
Corinne...when I saw the name of this poem, I just had to read it, as I grew up in the coastal area of Oregon! What great moments of reading I've had here with you, and enjoyed the way you shared the history of that familiar coastal town! Loved it...~S~ Life is what you make it |
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Corinne Member Ascendant
since 1999-10-28
Posts 5167state of confusion |
Thank you Passing Shadows, Terry and Sunnyone! Corinne |
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Mistletoe Angel
since 2000-12-17
Posts 32816Portland, Oregon |
 (big hugggsssssss) God Bless You, dearest friend, this deeply touched my heart as I am of much Native American blood, particularly Cherokee, and it pains me to know in history what atrocities were performed on our people, and though now I move on with the notion of turning the other cheek and forgiving, I only pray they do the same and finally respect can be brought between us all! (sad sigh) This is very heartfelt, sweet friend, we all love you so much! You have such a beautiful heart, sweet Corinne, thank you for sharing!  May love and light always shine upon you! Love, Noah Eaton "You'll find something that's enough to keep you |
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