Violating Its Charter

Editors, Vineyard Gazette:

My family and I are at a loss to understand the reasons why the Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation board of directors permitted the strip-mining of trees, plants, and grasses from Foundation properties, as described and photographed in the Vineyard Gazette of May 16. The properties involved, furthermore, are also designated as priority habitats by the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Therefore, any restoring of these properties should be done only if in accord with the Endangered Species Act.

Just a Thought . . .

Written by Arthur Railton, from the Vineyard Gazette of May 25, 1990:

Every town has one. Some have two, three or more. They are our most ignored public spaces. Except during a few days in May. They are our cemeteries. Quiet and restful, even in frenetic mid-summer they are sanctuaries. Not for birds, not for wildlife, but for humans, living and dead. Yet, except on Memorial Day, they are ignored.

T he best kinds of stories about your kids are those that you wouldn’t remember unless you wrote them down. In 1993 Adam was 13 and we had just given him permission to go places on his own.

The summer season began when the squid started to bite. I knew it had come when Adam’s clothing got all mucked up with ink and slime. His hands would be stained black. This began happening every day.

High Ground

My husband and I sit in cones of electric light,

reading in down-filled, chintz-covered armchairs

in our pretty little parlor in our pretty second home.

The tinnitus of crickets and the hiss of the sprinkler system

seep through screened doors and windows.

Thousands of miles away people are drowning.

In droves. For days. They stuff rags under their doors.

Hello everyone. We have another batch of pieces for you to read. For the last couple of weeks, the sophomore classes have been learning about the Holocaust and many of our class are giving feedback on that topic. We are writing personal opinions and feelings about that topic; after looking through all of the pieces, I really liked Gail Herman’s piece. Having learned about the subject myself, I feel I can relate to what she says. The quote she uses that we can bomb the world into pieces, but not into peace, is powerful and says it all for us.

It was a spectacular crash, the first I’d ever seen. Two cars, at the intersection of State and Old County Roads, hit like billiard balls and bounced straight backwards. Happy for all, the only injury was a young passenger in one car who sliced up his forehead. Pieces of cars were all over the road, and in typical Vineyard fashion motorists began stopping and running to assist. The EMTs soon arrived, calm returned, the debris was kicked off the road and we all went on about our business.