New Gloucester poet laureate Ruthanne "Rufus" Collinson wrote this poem, "Celebrate Gloucester," for the Celebrate Gloucester concert event held Sunday at the I-4, C-2 property, and read it as part of the program.
Celebrate Gloucester
Let us go to a high place and look out.
Gulls soar and drift like our spirits.
Trees reach out and spread their dapple and their shade.
Small birds twitter in droves like the beauty of our distractions.
Hills emerge and rocks lounge like beached whales.
The land curves and the sands glisten.
We see everything that keeps and holds, encloses
Coves, forts, quarries, cellars, bell tower, break water,
Harbor ramps, wharves and pilings, hulls and masts and lines,
Vessels of pleasure and provision.
Rooftops, widow walks, chimneys,
The language and history of the neighborhoods,
The salt of our current lives
We dwell in the spirit of all that swells and beckons, seizes and provides
The shining harbor,
Steeples, light houses, Our Lady of Good Voyage,
Our Man at the Wheel,
Coffee shops, bars, restaurants,
The aroma of the nations,
The endless call of the sea and promise of the horizon.
The spirit of Gloucester surrounds and teaches us
How to create Love from Loss
How to look far out and find the possibilities within
How to live close and always see the distant horizon.
Celebrate Gloucester and your self
All that you have become
within the shining city of your soul.
