Kirie’s new story, “Bird Blind,” appears in Mount Hope, published bi-annually by the Roger Williams University Department of English and Creative Writing. Excerpt:
“When I built my cabin on the island, friends and delivery trucks drove as close as they could to the front door, blocking my view of the sea. I didn’t want to look out my tall, front-facing windows and see cars. I wanted to see only the water, trees, birds, and slices of sky. I wanted to hear only the wind and the waves and the chittering of bald eagles. I wanted the earth as my skin and the sea as my tears. I wanted gold-white light reflecting off the hackly basalt beneath the cliff.
“My solution was to block the driveway where it led to the house and create a path with earth berms on either side. I planted sword fern, kinnikinnick, red and blue huckleberry, and wild grape. By the time you traveled that final path, I wanted you transformed. If you had stuff to lug, I kept a wheelbarrow handy.
“By the end of my first winter, the plants on the berm grew in and obscured the driveway exactly as I’d planned. From the cliffs in front of my cabin, I watched harbor seals, river otters, and Pileated woodpeckers. I heard the raucous shrieks of belted kingfisher. My cabin was a bird blind, my garden a wildlife refuge, and, I hoped, a safe haven for humans as well.
“Then I met Matthew, originally from an island of his own, Manhattan. He migrated to the Pacific Northwest to fight fires, and we met when we …
Access the magazine and read the full story here.
Read the latest car news and check out newest photos, articles, and more from the Car and Driver Blog.
