Poetry by Ursula McCabe
Gull noise was always abundant
for the Makah People
even when they labored over
red cedar baskets
in their plank houses.
They lived by beaches
lined with purple-blue mussel shells.
Summer sunsets turned the sea
melon colors and behind their camp
ridges of conifer crowns
glowed hunter green
from the yellowish cast.
Since ancient times
Makah peoples have had the ability
to navigate places where
they cannot see land.
And even now when they return
to the rocks closer to shore,
there are the gulls—
calling them home.
Ursula McCabe sold wine in Portland, Oregon for many years. Her work can be seen in Piker Press, Oregon Poetry Association’s Verseweavers, Lit Shark Magazine, The Bluebird Word, and The Ekphrastic Review. She likes the ocean, forests, lots of birds, and shopping at thrift stores.
