Tribal Welcoming

Growing up on a concrete island like Manhattan, Alex then spent many years along the California beaches, learning to love the sea, swapping the Pacific for the Atlantic; finding inspiration in driftwood, kelp, and tide pools. When she moved to San Juan Island, she got the best of both worlds, surrounded by the sea, a return to the island, and the alure and comfort of a small town; getting a microcosm of Americana married to the song of the sea.

Tribal Welcoming

Independence
is sometimes contextual;
like these shore pines,
one can stand
alone
and still be bolstered
and protected
by others nearby.

When a strong wind blows,
surrounding neighbors keep
the damage
to a minimum.
Without them,
a lone tree
could easily topple.

Such is my growing,
happy experience
on this little island
in the foremost
upper left hand corner
of the United States.

Lots of independent thinkers
here;
lots of folks
with open minds
who choose not to tell others
how to live
and prefer not
to be instructed
on that
themselves.

Yet the palpable sense
of interconnectivity
is everywhere.
Living on an island,
just about
every person you meet
is framed
by a musical repeat sign:
you will see them again,
somewhere,
and often
in a different milieu
than where you last met.

That’s
the jazz version;
different harmonizations
second
and third times
around!.

It is a far more
tribal level
of awareness
than one would ever find
in a city;
and it is a fascinating
lesson
in the simultaneous truths
of independence
and interdependence.

Alex Shapiro July 2007