In the Shadow
By Catherine Payne
I live on Guam, an island cradled in the warm swaths of the Pacific Ocean.
To troops, the island is “The Tip of the Spear.” It is where the United States hosts key military installations.
But to me, the island is my home. It is where my seafaring ancestors landed after following stars in the blanket of darkness. It is where they cultivated plants that fed the flesh and stirred the spirit. And it is where I sow hope with words. I pray over these words so that they may bloom if despair were to eclipse the sun.
My body lives in the shadow of bombers, but my soul soars like an unbound bird in the heavens. May the stars guide my pen as they did my ancestors’ canoes thousands of nights ago.
Catherine Payne is a writer born and raised on Guam. She believes that words are bridges that can connect people across cultures and political parties. She hopes that her words raise awareness of Guam as more than just an island of military bases and touristy beaches.