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Matinicus Rock Light Poem

By Maine Lights Today Staff August 13, 2020

The following poem about Matinicus Rock Light was written by Hilda Thompson of Damariscotta, Maine, and appeared in the January 23, 1939 edition of the Rockland Courier Gazette…

Twenty miles from the mainland
There is situated a clump of rocks,
Known to every fisherman around,
As a place where loneliness docks.
 
On this lonely little isle
A lighthouse station stands,
Where sometimes waves lash very high
As if at God’s commands.
Matinicus Rock
Matinicus Rock
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

Two towers reach into the sky,
Although not both in use.
They stand like lonely sentinels
Where the birds delight to roost.
 
On foggy days and snowy days,
The fog horn sounds its blast
To warn the boats that are hidden from view
To be careful when they pass.
Matinicus Rock Lighthouse
Matinicus Rock Light Station
(U.S. Coast Guard Photo)

The Stonehouse and Covered Way
Have stood there very long.
Through snow and wind and water
They have weathered many storms.
 
The medricks and sea parrots
Come in scores to build their nests,
In every crack and crevice
One can see their eggs at rest.
Puffins at Matinicus Rock
Puffins (sometimes referred to as sea parrots) at Matinicus Rock
(Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)

The lighthouse tender, Ilex,
And the Hibiscus, too,
Are always welcome visitors
To the light station and its crew.
 
To the keepers and their families,
“The Rock” is a lonesome place.
But the friendly gleam of the lighthouse
Has brightened many a fisherman’s face.
Matinicus Rock Lighthouse Keepers
Matinicus Rock Keepers in the early 1920s (L to R) Head Keeper Frank Hilt and Assistant Keepers V. H. Fernald, E. E. Conary and Arthur J. Beal
(American Lighthouse Foundation Photo)

Historical, Matinicus Rock Light

Maine Lights Today Staff

Beacons of Wonderment by Bob Trapani, Jr.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Bob Meyer says

    August 13, 2020 at 9:01 pm

    That is a neat poem. I can just imagine the life of a lighthouse keeper being lonely and yet awesome at the same time.

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