February 4, 2015

Whidbey Writes is a collaboration between the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts (NILA) and Whidbey Life Magazine (WLM). Its purpose is to give WLM readers an opportunity to enjoy short fiction and poetry by writers who have a connection to Whidbey Island. Congratulations to Sheryl, she is the second writer featured in Whidbey Writes and we’re pleased to be able to share her poem with you.

We look forward to publishing the original work of selected winners at the beginning of each month as part of Whidbey Writes. NILA congratulates Sheryl and thanks volunteer editors Heather Anderson, Mureall Hebert and Chris Spencer, who review submissions on solstices and equinoxes and pass on the work they enjoy most to Whidbey Life Magazine for publication online and in print. To find out more about Whidbey Writes and the submission criteria, visit the NILA website.

Advice for the Newcomer

— for Betty Freeman

If you get lost, don’t worry —
you’re on an island. How far
can it be to a familiar turn,
the road beckoning with its
well-worn sign “Lucy Lane,”
luminous fireweed to light your way.

And what if you should stay lost?
Nothing tragic there — buy an ice cream
from a roadside stand, walk the waterfront
past the boy-and-his-dog statue. Browse
among local books, chat up the locals and
dance in the street as stars reveal
what dogs and sailors have always known. 

You may find that Lost is where
you’d rather be. Worry will have
caught a bus by now, riding back
to the mainland and over-scheduled
days, while you inhale sweet peas’
aroma and eat sausage on a stick.

To critics, you can always claim
getting lost was part of the plan.

— Sheryl Clough

Photos courtesy of the author

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