'I Am Your History'

Distant shore you dreamed from a far-off land
Before you waved away all you knew

Lifted anchor, set sail –
Bright star above to guide

When there would be guiding.
I am your history

The creaking of wood, snapping of cloth
Till feet fell upon a foreign earth
And you claimed it for your own.

I am rabbit, fox, owl, hawk – turtle
The tribes before you

Fish and fowl, crop and kettle, wood and axe
Both hope and heartache, trust and fear.

“Manhasset,” I called. “Massapequa.”
“Freeport,” you answered. “Farmingdale.”

What I knew, you guessed.
What you knew, I imagined.

Meadowbrook, Wantagh
Seaford-Oyster Bay

We would find each other.
I am your history

Promise of days gone by
Prayer for times to come.

I kneel before you
Spread my cloth at your feet

Ask that you believe –
In the shimmer of these threads

The light of a bright star.
There to guide when there would be guiding.




Dr. Linda Opyr was named Nassau County's 2011-13 poet laureate on June 12.