That Place in our Soul

All places are marked on us and we have a map of that place in our souls
 Michelle Stuart

Everything has a story
EVERYTHING

listen carefully and you can hear the story
behind the lonely call of the loon
or the hawk perching silently in the tallest tree

what does the water lapping
at the shore of  Lake Superior
reveal to you?

from Mission Island Marsh
 
the wind at times
whispers her tales
and other times
she leaves us breathless
from her ardent spiels

even the land
has her own story to tell

 and we living in Thunder Bay
know this
we only have to look out
onto the harbour

from Mission Island Marsh

Nanabijou or the Sleeping Giant
has the greatest story of them all
as told by the Anishnawbe
the original inhabitants of our region

 from Hillcrest Park


Many a time
I go to Hillcrest Park
with my journal and camera
sit upon the stone ledge
and face Nanabijou
over the blue shimmering waters of Lake Superior
breathing deep
and revelling in the human-like formations of rock
which stretches out before me
Sometimes I tell her my own story
she listens silently
the air becomes deep with meaning
and I know she hears me
although I have not said a word out loud

I am tied forever to this land
where I grew up
Nanabijou has always been sleeping in the harbour

through my childhood, adolescence and womanhood
it is no wonder that I feel connected to her
she forms part of the ground beneath my feet

So can you imagine my joy

when I looked out the window

of the airplane 

on the flight from Thunder Bay to Toronto

and saw Nanabijou from the air?

She has different stories to reveal

from that vantage point

in the sky

where my feet weren't even touching her ground
just dangling miles above

These images were taken with my
Canon Powershot SD1000 camera
but next time I will use my Canon Rebel T2i
to do justice to Nanabijou's mysteries,
cliffs and curves

I refer to Nanabijou
as SHE because she is part of
Mother Nature and Mother Earth
and also because this is how our local landscape
speaks to me
I hear her in a decidedly female voice
but for you it might not be like this

and also
if you observe The Sleeping Giant
from Mission Island Marsh or Squaw Bay
her contours are that of a woman!