Nine Santa Cruz authors participated in The Love Letters Project on Saturday, February 11th, held at The Musuem of Art and History (MAH), Bookshop Santa Cruz, and Felix Kulpa Gallery. Each writer was asked to contribute a poem or letter they had written for someone or something they love. The poems and letters written by Stephanie Golino at The Love Letters Project follow her contribution.

To The Mason Street Farm Board

Where I once stood and spoke of weather and the waning price grain,
I now give the daily love report.
You shuffle, nod cloud-ward, then warn of one basket, eggs,
and hopes securely cooped.

Neighbors, it’s solid as the almanac.
I have rows of proof, I have evidence
baled and stacked.
So give me a proper hearing at this fence.

For ninety-seven mornings in a row,
she has met the sunrise on its’ own terms,
and smiled at the cock’s rude crow.
She has met my un-caged relatives and found them tame.
She has met my thrice-told jokes, and found them laugh-worthy again
and again and again.

She has weathered but one season with me, yes.
But it did span a sudden global freeze, 
crop loss and worse, a embattled board election.
And still we slept each night like trees embraced,
inventing new enlacements
of trunk and limb, new grafts.

You, who plant by the phases of the moon,
can’t deny your faith in diviners.
There’s no accounting for them, no shred of proof.
Yet with two rods, they force all common sense aside.
It’s like that, Farm Board, simple as dowser pie.
She has led me to water and it’s a steady supply.

by Stephanie Golino

Photograph by Marcia Quackenbush

Letters & Poems written by Stephanie for the Love Letters Project:

• For Elizabeth from Anthony
• For Elena from Cynthia
• For Leslie from David
• For Diane from Donald
• For Lester from Hông
• For Yollotl from Roxane
• For Breeze from Saki