Sandy Field
planet and universe join together
to birth this sandy field
glacial waters break spill
grind surge
rocks drop
now on fence line and hilltop
they sit they know
stories
drying in the sun
if you let yourself get close
put your ear
to the ground,
you can still hear the
heart beat
~ Gayle Sacuta
“I live in Devon with my family, but regularly visit the farm where I grew up. I take my children there. The land is integral to my sense of identity. I explore the relationship with the land through writing. The bond grows even though I don’t live there.
My poems were inspired after finding a tiny chip from an arrowhead in a hayfield on the farm. That action connected me to the pre-settlement history of that particular piece of land in a new way. I’m still exploring the effects, so I’m reluctant to write too much at this point, although I feel like it will play an important part in my future story.”
Read more of Gayle Sacuta’s poetry:
– Vast Prairie Puja
– Where Are You From?
Editor’s note: This poem is from Home and Away – a sequel to the bestselling Writing the Land (2007). Look for one poet to be featured each day as Alberta poets ponder the question “what is home?†and explore our complex relationship with working on, living with, exploiting and protecting our land and our home. For more information about the project, click here.
Grand. Thank you for the journey in this poem.