End of Land, Deer Isle
April 29, 2020 | For Love of the Coast | Community Impact, Outdoor Recreation, Public Access
If you travel over Eggemoggin Reach
– using the suspension bridge –
it will feel as if you will crash into the ground
on the other side.
You will not.
You will land safely
on this island of two parts
and you will see the ocean as you perhaps have dreamt it.
But you’ll have to bottle that up for now.
You have to keep driving.
This is not your destination.
You will miss the ocean as you travel further into this two-part island,
but you will turn right from Route 15
onto Main Street before it becomes Bridge Street before it splits the harbor in two.
You will not see this splitting.
You will stop for coffee
at the top of this street
and you will smell the ocean in a way you never expected.
The coffee shop is small and loved.
You will speak casually with the owner.
You will say names that make her face smile.
Everybody here knows those names. Everybody here knows that place.
Climbing back into your car,
you will find your way back to Route 15
and your chest will fill with an eagerness.
Deep into this two-part island, roads that should not be roads are roads,
But you will maneuver your car down the Fire Road
green of the cove on your right, rocks and dirt under your tires.
Eventually, you will come to the end…
You will park your car. You will drag out your chair –
legs scraping ocean rocks – right up to land’s end.
And you will be alone.
Let your body rest.
Watch the tide come in.
Watch the osprey circle.
Watch the stillness become darkness.
Watch the stars become the Milky Way.
Watch the tide go out.
Samaa Abdurraqib was raised in the Land of Buckeyes (Ohio), spent eight years in the Land of Dairy (Wisconsin), and moved to the Land of Lobsters in August 2010. She spent three years teaching Gender & Women’s Studies at Bowdoin College and transitioned into the non-profit world in 2013.
This piece is part of Voices from the Coast, a collection of writing, art, stories, and images offered in celebration of the Maine coast and launched in 2020, Maine Coast Heritage Trust’s 50th year.
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