From the Island
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At the end of the Human Erawhales turned cliffs of foreheadtoward land, circled and soundedthinking maybe of Simone Weil.Nobody out there rememberedthe names they’d been giventhought it best to forget. Tideskept turning the skirts of jellyfishinto stars: obliteration shot throughwith sparkle. A girl runs down the roadwith a last letter. [End Page 106]
Mary Rose O’Reilley’s most recent book, Bright Morning Stars, won the 2017 Brighthorse Prize for the Novel. She is the author of two poetry collections, both from LSU, Half Wild (2005 Walt Whitman Prize) and Earth, Mercy. Her three books on teaching concern peace studies and contemplative practice: The Peaceable Classroom, Radical Presence and The Garden at Night (Heinemann). Two memoirs, The Barn at the End of the World and The Love of Impermanent Things (Milkweed Editions) explore connections among humans, animals and the natural world. Professor Emerita at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN, she is grateful to remain active as a writer, beach naturalist, potter, and Baroque and folk fiddle player. She lives on a rural island in Puget Sound.
