Joy: July
A peninsula
Maine
Casco Bay
North Atlantic Ocean
I venture to the granite tip
On the trail a surprise:
Queen Anne’s Lace as tall as me,
taller, towering, willowy
A thousandstarburst galaxieseach on its own salad-green stem
End of the point
ocean, ocean, ocean
whoosh of high tide
wash of salt air
pull me back to earth
My feet steady now on ancient rock
Oh! The terns!! They swoop
their large arcs precise sky-wide penmanship
boomerang wings
their dives define
commitment
straight
down
into
white-capped waves
Except
when they suddenly
curve
away
and
up
G
R
A
V
I
T
Y
DEFIERS
air!
of
artists
Escape
Maine
Casco Bay
North Atlantic Ocean
I venture to the granite tip
On the trail a surprise:
Queen Anne’s Lace as tall as me,
taller, towering, willowy
A thousandstarburst galaxieseach on its own salad-green stem
End of the point
ocean, ocean, ocean
whoosh of high tide
wash of salt air
pull me back to earth
My feet steady now on ancient rock
Oh! The terns!! They swoop
their large arcs precise sky-wide penmanship
boomerang wings
their dives define
commitment
straight
down
into
white-capped waves
Except
when they suddenly
curve
away
and
up
G
R
A
V
I
T
Y
DEFIERS
air!
of
artists
Escape
This poem is copyright (©) Mary Jo Moore 2026
About the Writer
Mary Jo Moore
Mary Jo is inspired by words and by nature. "Nature includes all natural things, living or not. No matter where you live, you are surrounded by nature. The clouds, the sun, the winds, rocks, soil, all plants, all animals (including insects and humans!)- these are your natural environment." She finds joy in being amazed by something happening in the natural world every day and feels lucky to live near the coast of Maine in the northeast United States.
