Beyond the South End

Kendall Merriam was born and raised in Rockland, Maine. He has a history degree from Gordon College in Wenham, MA and graduate studies in military and maritime history at the University of Maine at Orono and Mystic Seaport in Mystic, Conn. He also received grants to study historical research at Colonial Williamsburg and the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Merriam has been widely published, including in Katyn W Literaturze(Katyn in Literature), a Polish anthology of literary works about the WWII Katyn Forest Massacre by 120 international authors, including Czeslaw Milosz. Merriam has written more than twenty books and plays. Most of Merriam’s work has a definite muse – family, friends, and strangers – with life’s larger themes of work, love, loss and death. On April 29, 2010, Merriam was appointed Rockland, Maine’s Inaugural Poet Laureate, an honor from his hometown Merriam cherishes.

This month is the one-year anniversary of “South End Poet.” Congratulations to my good friend Kendall . I know you will continue to enjoy his poems. We are lucky to have him with us. By the way, as an extra bonus, Kendall has included his favorite recipe for brownies. Enjoy.

 ROCKLAND MAIN STREET

(For My Grandfather, Artie)

When I think of Main Street

I think of the frappe’ shops

Shoe stores

Where two of my brothers worked

People coming to town

On Saturday evenings

To shop, see a movie

And drink a frappe’ or a root beer float

My grandfather, Artie Blackman

Always had a quarter for us

In whatever hardware store he worked

But now the street has aged

Restaurants, galleries

And the boon of three bookstores

As I walk along Main Street

There are few people

I recognize from childhood

I wonder where they have gone

Many are resting

In the afterlife

To be replaced

By other beautiful women

Handsome men

People who have traveled here

To find a refuge

But in old Rockland

Many left by ship

Off to trade around the world

Or to war from which

So many did not return

Now we are glad

That people want to settle

From any part of the earth

Making a richer mix of people

Bringing a delight to the eye

And a satisfaction to the soul

A street of dreams fulfilled

Kendall  Merriam,  Home,  5/2/13  11:30 PM

                BLACK MOON

For the African Americans of Rockland

Now there are many citizens

Of Rockland, living, breathing

The salt air

Long thought to be the sole possession

Of whites

The choir director from D.C.

Aaron the chef

The young woman in dreads

To whom I gave a poem for my brother

And at a party thanked me

Jonathan’s Frost’s model

Shatema , exquisite

I think we owe them

An almost irredeemable debt

Our Gods and Goddesses

Tell us this

Giving a brilliant coin

That is free to everyone

It shines across the floor

Of this middleaged house

And shows us

The pain of the doorkeeper

I love them for their beauty

And work against the pain

I cannot love the President

For he has allowed so many

Black and white to be killed

Sometimes I weep

At this situation

And hope the black moon

Gives hope to the living and the dead

Kendall Merriam,  Home, 8/20/13  10:16 PM

Listening to a CD of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young  “So Far”

After seeing the film “The Butler”

MOONBIRD

For Kristen

Phyllis is a lovely Almond tree

I am a bear

But neither can fly

Something you do in sun

And Maine moonlight

How are you guided

By shadows or sounds

You race around mountains

Any time, any weather

With no fears

Knowing you are protected

By game wardens

You are so vital, so precious

The keeper of much wisdom

Both natural and poetic

I wonder how old you are

If you were here

As I said in “Sunbird”

At the very beginning

A woman with wings

A laughing voice so sublime

It is distilled

Finer than any water, spirits

You know how to charm

Donors of land and water

Paying only blueberries

And hawk’s breath

You are a guardian

Of a way of life

Making Maine

A Holy place, well loved

Kendall Merriam,  Home, 8/19/13  9:45  PM

Listening to almost complete silence

  

            EAGLE

            For Ezio

In the years ahead

after you have fledged

you will spread your wings

take in the world

at a glance

go to the places on earth

that most need your heart

of conscience

whether as doctor

or successful farmer

feeding the nations

now crying out in hunger

both your mother and father

will teach you

the duty, the pleasure

of serving people

making their lives

just a bit easier, more bearable

too far ahead

to contemplate

you will grow to marry

be a good husband, father

having had the lovely example

of your parents, brother

now you are starting out

in the relative cool of Maine

well blessed with

the heat of caring and honor

Kendall Merriam,  Home, 6/18/13  4:52  PM

Listening to Jimmy Cliff  “The Harder They Come”

A POEM FOR ALEXIS WRIGHT

An Apology from the Men of the World

I have women friends

Who were sexually abused

When they were children

Or teenagers

So frightening

So damaging to the soul

What you did

Is not wrong, not revenge

For what happened to you

As a child

What the judge, the prosecutors

Said about you

Was fallacious

Why they said them

I have no idea

Why they gave you 10 months

And a huge fine

Is not understandable

I think you are a good person

Suffering from the touching of men

I do not know why women

Are not defending you

If they, themselves, have been abused

Or have friends who were

A woman friend thinks

You should have a book, a movie deal

If you wanted to go through

It all again

But you may want

To go to the beach

And enjoy the redeeming sun

Kendall Merriam  at my brother’s house 6/1/13  3:33  PM

Listening to the cat eating

THE WORN DOWN TOOTH OF A MOUNTAIN

                  

                             For Phyllis

                             High blue water

                             Haze over the far islands

                             Strong breeze

                             Still enough sun

                             To keep us warm

                             Hundreds of people

                             From all the ancient countries

                             Did my cousin write from here

                             How did she carry ink and pen

                             Before the invention of ballpoints

                             Or did she visit

                             So many times

                             That the poem

                             Was in her heart

                             Long before she wrote it

                             In whatever house

                             Her mother could provide

                             I, being a man, am afraid

                             Of giant heights

                             Fear of jumping out and down

                             Phyllis climbs the tower

                             Stands gazing

                             Across God’s long handiwork

                             Penobscot Bay, Camden Harbor

                             With great joy

                             Never thinking this would be hers

   Kendall Merriam, on Mt. Battie, September 25, 2012  3:42 PM

   Listening to mountain people & the wind

A recipe to enjoy from Kendall

BROWNIES

         

These brownies were not written by Katherine Hepburn, but are certainly food for the stars.

Brownies were invented by a hotel chef during the 1893 Columbian World Exposition in Chicago. My recipe comes from an old Gourmet Magazine who claimed to have gotten it from the movie star, Katherine Hepburn.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Butter and flour a 91/2” X 13” glass baking pan. In a large saucepan melt 4 oz. 100% cacao unsweetened chocolate (Ghirardelli—if you can find it) and ½ pound butter (2 sticks) on low heat.

When fully melted remove from stove and add two cups white sugar, 4 eggs, 1 tsp. real vanilla.

Stir thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Add ¾ cup flour and ½ tsp. salt, stir. Add 11/2 cups walnuts (unless allergic to them), mix.

Pour all the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 40 minutes. Remove from oven wearing mitts.

Let sit overnight to firm up for cutting. Enjoy and share with friends and neighbors.