A couple of years ago, my family visited Norris Point in Gros Morne National Park of Canada. There we had the most spectacular view of the Tablelands, a World Heritage Site. The Tablelands are a place where you can hike to the bottom of the ocean. That’s right. More than a billion years ago, the earth’s mantle came together with such force that the ocean floor sprouted up to a mountain . I’m by no means a poet, but I was inspired to write as I sat on the deck at Neddies Harbour Inn with a clear view to the Tablelands. It was a scene I was also inspired to paint. If you ever have the chance to travel the Viking Trail, Route 430, from Deer Lake to the northern tip of Newfoundland, Norris Point is a must-see place to stop and take in this view.

Taken from the garden at Neddies Harbour Inn, a most spectacular view to the Tablelands (far right) and overlooking Bonne Bay in Norris Point, Newfoundland

Taken from the garden at Neddies Harbour Inn, a most spectacular view to the Tablelands (far right) and overlooking Bonne Bay in Norris Point, Newfoundland

Taken from the garden at Neddies Harbour Inn, a most spectacular view to the Tablelands (far right) and overlooking Bonne Bay in Norris Point, Newfoundland

Ancient Bay

The black-backed gulls hang in the sky

Suspended and gliding

Their yellow bills calling over the glistening blue mirror

Here, at the junction of the south and north arms

The naked and orange earth’s mantle looms

Exposed and windswept

Its oceanic crust overlooking the bay

There, where you can hike to the ancient seafloor

The layered green boreal forest breathes

Spirited and lush

Its spruces and firs granting softness between the coastline and tundra

There, where the rock ptarmigans perch on volcanic rock and limestone cliffs

The whispered voices trace over the bay

Muffled and light

They’re easily camouflaged in the breeze

Here, where Mi’kmaq frequented before the European settlers

The pebbled shoreline crawls with activity

Cobbled and humming

A coastline for curing fish, now riddled with seaweed, driftwood and seashells

Here, where the fishermen stack traps in preparation for their next haul

The blue waters of the bay dip and bob

Layered and deep

Its kelp beds home to capelin, krill and squid

There, where glossy-bodied whales, dolphins and porpoises echo

The fjord basin ricochets the sounds

Sheltered and calm

Its surface smooth from a single glacial cut

There, where the past has carved out a new presence