This selection, chosen by guest editor Kirsten Kowalewski, is from A Story Interrupted by Connie Soper (Airlie Press 2022).
Amanda’s Trail
In 1864, Amanda De-Cuys, a blind Coos woman, was removed from her home
and forced to walk some 50 miles to be relocated at the Coast Reservation near
what is now Yachats, Oregon.
It was her way to embrace circles of seasons
in an abundance of bulbs, roots, berries;
to harvest mussels in the low and salty estuary—
until she became a refugee in her own homeland.
It was her way to lay the dead
in canoes hung from branches, always
facing west. Those boats would sway
in the breeze as souls rowed into the next world.
Which of us wouldn’t enter eternity like that?
It was her way to leave gifts
for that long journey: basket, knife, blanket—
until those gifts were stolen for souvenirs.
It was her way to trust the shaman,
until the diseases came and there were no more
living to tend to the dying.
Today, we lace our boots and ready packs
to step into forest’s ripe and sudden smells
on the flanks of Cape Perpetua.
The same cliffs, chasms, streams, rocks.
The same churning waves in the distance.
The path before us curves like the parenthesis of history.
We can’t see its end as we cross over a bridge,
traverse switchbacks, follow twisting trail
to pause at a knoll overlooking the expansive sea.
Cedars press green spirit-weave against the sky—
dappled with light, rooted in darkness.
Connie Soper is a poet based in Portland, Oregon, who published her first book of poems at the age of 74. Like a collage of memories, this collection delves into the past, always rooted in a strong sense of place. All proceeds from the sale of A Story Interrupted return to the press to support the production of future books. Connie is also the author of a non-fiction book, Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail, and her love of the Oregon landscape and all its trails is reflected in her book.
Kirsten Kowalewski is the editor for online horror fiction review resource Monster Librarian. She has an MLS and a specialist certificate in school library media from Indiana University, has worked as a children’s librarian and elementary school media specialist, and is a lifelong reader.
