14
in other words
march8
2011
New in Town: See You Around
By Shannon Romtvedt
January 15 th , 2011, marked the
one year anniversary of my move to
Vernonia. Aside from toasting a Happy
Anniversary, I believe with a water glass
and a coffee mug over breakfast, there’s
been little fanfare. But it’s made me
more reflective. For me it’s a big deal to
be here. It’s the place I now call home
and the community I support.
Though I will live here
many moons and through many
groundbreakings and Jamborees before
I’m considered anything but New in
Town, I’ve decided to step off the podium
and make this my last column. Several
of my highlights from this past year as
well as many day to day experiences
have been printed in this paper. I’d like
to continue sharing my stories but I think
it’s time for me to broaden my support
of Vernonia and help out in other ways.
And who knows, I may start sharing
other people’s stories. There are plenty
of tales to tell.
It was hard for me to decide how
to say goodbye to this column and those
of you that read it. It’s been a profound
experience for me and I’m thankful to
Scott Laird and the Vernonia’s Voice for
supporting my idea.
I spent a couple days opening
and closing the cover of my laptop,
deciding to read and watch the snow
fall rather than stare down a blank
page. Then, after reading a particular
chapter in Brian Doyle’s Mink River, I
was inspired and ready to write. Brian
Doyle is a local author and his new
novel is about a small coastal town in
Oregon and the big and small stories of
its people. One of the many characters in
this fabulous book is a man living out his
last days in the doc’s office, reflecting on
his life, love, and town with a twelve-
year-old boy. “These things matter to
me, Daniel, says the man with six days
to live. They are sitting on the porch in
the last light. These things matter to me,
son” (p. 195). He goes on to list things
from salmonberries to fresh-mown
THE
Middle Age
INKWELL
By Lynn Berry
Hey all writers, creators, and artists, I
am calling on you to keep writing, creating, and
inspiring.
Winter continues, with its long frosty nights,
giving us at least a few more moments of peaceful
solitude, which offers us extra time for thoughtful
reflection and writing. There is an essential element
to personal and spiritual growth when one takes
the time to courageously look at things as they are
instead of what we want them to be. These moments
help us to create and strengthen the parts of ourselves
we need to release, and the parts of ourselves we
need to develop.
Below is a poem by the well-known poet,
Robert Lowell, who writes about a middle point
in life, a point where the poet is now able to look
realistically and comparatively over his past and
towards his future with a deeper understanding and
perspective of himself and of his father who walked
before him:
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VERNONIA
lawns to his children learning to read.
So, in honor of Vernonia, I’d
like to list things that have come to
matter to me living here. These things
matter: The music of the creek. The
first deep breath of clean, cold air in the
morning. Walking an old railroad grade.
Seeing my home from a viewpoint at
the top of a hill. Exploring downtown
with a 5-year-old. Planting my first
garden. Buying tools at the hardware
store. Buying liquor at the hardware
store. Being recognized in shops and
restaurants.
Checking out books at
the library. Writing for the Vernonia’s
Voice. Canoeing down Rock Creek with
my husband. Turning the canoe in Rock
Creek and chasing after the paddle.
Driving under railroad trestles. Riding
my bike over a railroad trestle. Riding
my bike up Keasey Road. Touring
the rock shop. Learning to identify
trees. Wrapping my arms as far as they
could wrap around an ancient cedar.
Watching the leaves appear. Watching
them change color and fall. Waving
back to waving kids on the side of the
road. Watching the snow fall. Making
a humongous snowball. Identifying
animal tracks in the snow. Seeing the
lights downtown during the holidays.
Eating breakfast at Café 47. Having
draft beer at the Lyons Den. Playing
ping-pong at the Cedarside. Hosting
ping-pong tournaments at my house. A
friendship festival. New friends. Two
cats named Toni and Rama. A dog named
Babe. Playing with kittens at Creatures.
Friendly veterinarians. Cheering on
the salmon journeying up the creek.
Watching a deer leap into the water
and swim down the creek. Watching a
bald eagle fly up the creek. Greeting a
blue heron. Resting in my hammock
and listening to the water. Riding my
bike on the Banks-Vernonia trail with
family. Looking at old pictures of the
town. Learning the history. Meeting the
people. Coming home.
Thank you Vernonia. So long
and see you around…
grow and enlarge our minds, and our hearts open;
we begin to understand people and situations in ways
we were once unable; we begin to respect what we
don’t understand; we become compassionate rather
than judgmental, and we relish in the beauty and in
the ache that life brings to each of us.
---Writer’s Idea: Think about how the poem above,
and your own poetry, or your own life’s experience
reflect the quote, “Life will give you whatever
experience is most helpful for the evolution of your
consciousness” ---- Eckhart Tolle. Write about your
insight and connection to this.
---Writer’s Tip: Make a list of some of your
perceptions that have changed over the last year
to five years. This should give you some ideas for
writing material on your own transitional shifts.
Now, the midwinter grind
is on me. New York
drills through my nerves,
as I walk
the chewed-up streets.
At forty-five,
what next, what next?
At every corner,
I meet my Father,
my age, still alive.
Father, forgive me
my injuries,
as I forgive
those I
have injured!
You never climbed
Mount Sion, yet left
dinosaur
death-steps on the crust,
where I must walk.
---Robert Lowell (1917-1977)
Lowell aptly exemplifies the significant shifts each
one of us experiences when we are capable of honest
and selfless reflection, especially when the insight
proves our character to be disappointing at best.
When we invite the artist within us to emerge, we
---Please send your original submissions to, (or if
you would like a copy of any of the published poems
in their entirety), InkwellVernonia@msn.com or by
mail: PO Box 333 Vernonia, OR 97064. Please
include your name and contact information. Engage--
Create--Expand.
Lynn Berry holds an M.A. in English, specializing in
feminist literature and literary criticism. She has spent
several years teaching Literature, Composition, Poetry,
Creative Writing, and Critical Thinking at various school
districts and colleges, and occasionally provides writing
workshops.
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