Description
Poems of the Point
by Lauri Cruver Cherian
Imagine growing up on beachfront property in the Puget Sound where the waves crash a hundred feet from your front door, the seagulls provide the morning wakeup call, and sea lions pop up their heads each day to check on you. Poems of the Point is a collection of poetry about growing up on the beach in Gig Harbor, Washington. The poems feature a walk down the beach in the company of the spirits of those who purchased the property, finding an eagle’s nest, childhood memories of boating and fishing for cod, searching for Lewis moon shells, picking cherries and raspberries, digging for clams and geoducks, spying orca in the Sound, and even a chance viewing of the illusive Mt. Rainier on a clear day. If a piece of your heart already lies in the Pacific Northwest or you are open to having your heart captured by it, this book of poetry is for you.
ENJOY A VIDEO OF LAURI READING FROM THE BOOK:
Lauri Cruver Cherian— A Featured Poet on The Poetry Box LIVE (October 2022)
About the Author
Lauri Cruver Cherian is a Washington State native raised in Gig Harbor on a beautiful piece of beachfront property. She awoke each morning to the cry of the seagulls and the view of the bay in her front yard, which was glorious in rain or shine. Her childhood memories are rich with singing around the bonfire, boat trips with her dad, fishing and clam digging, paddle boarding in Wollochet Bay, and watching for sea lions and orcas that would often swim past her house.
Lauri has lived on the South Texas Coast for three decades. She holds a Master’s degree in Language Acquisition Education from the University of Houston and a Bachelor’s degree in Bilingual Education from Washington State University. Lauri has taught English as a Second Language for children and adults for twenty-five years and is a teacher trainer, consultant, and a workshop leader in adult ESL. She is the recipient of several teacher of the year awards including District Bilingual Teacher of the Year in Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston. (You can visit her website at https://lessonswithlauri.com for more information.)
Besides returning to the beach when she gets the chance, Lauri enjoys acting in community theater, singing, and playing the piano, traveling, and writing short stories and poetry. Her poem “Courage” dedicated to healthcare workers during the pandemic, won honorable mention in the Texas Mental Health Creative Arts Contest in 2021. Lauri and her husband have three adventuresome adult children.
Early Praise for Poems of the Point:
I’ve long wanted to visit places in the Northwest like Gig Harbor, Washington. Now, via Lauri Cherian’s beautiful poems, I can. Poems of the Point is brimming with beautiful descriptions of a special place and great truths about the power of family, loyalties and traditions. When Lauri tells me in the first poem how certain landmarks and memories bring her home to Gig Harbor it brings me home as well, to the very distant and different little East Texas town that raised me many years ago. Lauri is a gifted poet and storyteller; I will come back to this collection occasionally.
—Ron Rozelle, author of Into That Good Night, The Windows of Heaven, and Touching Winter
Poems of the Point recaptures a delicious childhood of bike rides, beach walks, and twenty-five-cent Snickers bars. Cherian’s strong images recreate the salty shores of Puget Sound, transporting the reader to places washed by memory and love. This debut collection is a heartfelt tribute to the enduring power of place.
—Susan Donnelly, poet and teacher
This is a paean—not just to a place, but to moments. Lauri Cherian’s poems are present—to nature, to family, to love. Her arresting verses call us to pay attention to beauty, both material and invisible. Her writing transports us to her childhood home and beckons us in. Lauri Cherian’s work calls to mind Annie Dillard; full of keen observations and making meaning out of memory.
—Sneha Abraham Villalva, Executive Speechwriter, UCLA
Lauri Cherian’s collection, Poems of the Point, invites us to wander barefoot in the cool sands of childhood memories and family tributes. Rich in detail, from gutting Pacific Codfish (A knife is offered to whomever/ wants to pop the air sacks) to searching for moon snails (… lays her eggs in a collar of sand), Cherian’s poems describe a deep attachment to home. In “Orcas” we learn: Legend says that Orcas protect/ those who travel away from home/ and will lead them back when the time comes. Cherian’s poems are a delight-filled homing journey to Gig Harbor.
—Ann Farley, author of Tell Her Yes
Kyle Cruver –
This is a tender-hearted, very personal collection, celebrating life along the shores of Puget Sound. In just a few lines, I am taken back to carefree summer days spent beachcombing and sharing the quiet lessons of becoming children once again through older eyes.
Sue Saffle –
As someone who grew up in the Wasatch mountains of landlocked Utah, I’ve always wondered how different my life would have been had I grown up on the water. Newly retired and seduced by its serene beauty, my husband and I recently moved to Gig Harbor, and since then I have longed to see our new home through the eyes of a local. Lauri Cruver Cherian’s “Poems of the Point” answers that desire. Her beautifully crafted poems describe her vivid experiences growing up on the bay in a house built by her father and made magical by her mother, where she often saw playful seals, “Southern Resident Orcas,” eagles diving for salmon, moon snails and sand dollars, “alarming” and somewhat obscene Pacific Geoduck, and glorious sunsets. Later life took her away from the beach “that hasn’t changed” and about which she asks, “Does it know you are gone?” Her poem “Once” describes the people who have lived here, including the native American tribes “herded into reservations.” But this fine collection of poems is truly a hymn of praise for her “home on the point” and the paradise that “once” was hers.
Sue Saffle –
As someone who grew up in the Wasatch mountains of landlocked Utah, I’ve always wondered how different my life would have been had I grown up on the water. Newly retired and seduced by its serene beauty, my husband and I recently moved to Gig Harbor, and since then I have longed to see our new home through the eyes of a local. Lauri Cruver Cherian’s “Poems of the Point” answers that desire. Her beautifully crafted poems describe her vivid experiences growing up on the bay in a house built by her father and made magical by her mother, where she often saw playful seals, “Southern Resident Orcas,” eagles diving for salmon, moon snails and sand dollars, “alarming” and somewhat obscene Pacific Geoduck, and glorious sunsets. Later life took her away from the beach “that hasn’t changed” and about which she asks, “Does it know you are gone?” Her poem “Once” describes the people who have lived here, including the native American tribes “herded into reservations.” But this fine collection of poems is truly a hymn of praise for her “home on the point” and the paradise that “once” was hers.
Tracy Cram Perkins –
Cherian’s poetry collection vividly describes growing up in the heart of the Puget Sound in Washington State. Her reflections on her childhood, growing up on the beach, and memories of her parents capture the moment and the surroundings. I really enjoyed the collection. I especially enjoyed “Junk from the Dump” for its transformation of trash to childhood treasures. The book is a cozy, afternoon read, while rapped in a blanket, drinking a hot cup of tea.
Raymond Wells –
Is it cheating to say Lauri is my friend? I hope not, because I can be a harsh critic, even of pals. But I don’t have to be this time.
Poems of the Point is a book of remembrances that are wholly personal to the author. But her details of holidays, bike rides, of mom and dad and their legacies conjured similar memories from my life.
Being able to relate – is that what’s missing in so many dust covered collections of poetry? Not so here. Lauri takes you to a specific place in her heart, leaving plenty of space to touch yours.
Teri Wells –
Prepare your favorite tea, snuggle into a comfortable spot, and then open POEMS OF THE POINT. Lauri Cherian will take you to a private retreat nestled in Puget Sound. Whether you have been there before or have only this opportunity to explore Gig Harbor, you will not be disappointed. Not only will you discover memories of her surreally perfect childhood, but you’ll soon be unpacking memories of your own.
Constance Robinson-Haws –
Lauri’s use of similes, metaphors, personification, and imagery transplanted me to the beaches of Washington state. Writing about her pesky siblings’ adventures and family traditions made me misty-eyed as I embraced the memories of my own family. You don’t have to love poetry or the beach to appreciate the creativity poured into the little book of poems.