LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Posted on 18 June 2015 by LeslieM

Rapa Nui: Down, not Out

Dear Editor:

I never inscribed the artist’s signature, although I said I would.

I thought that it was, perhaps, too possessive an act — as if I commandeered credit for an incredible work accomplished by many.

Rapa Nui Reef became an extraordinary, larger-than-life blend of rusticated tribute and mysterious magnificence.

For a short while, it brought smiles to so many, and community pride to the Deerfield family.

In one moment of thunderous silence, what began as such a perfect day became itself an imperfect reminder that we do not possess any infinite power, nor do we command a perfect world.

I understand that Rapa Nui lays compressed and restrained within some iron dungeon.

I have heard from so many thoughtful people to express sincere sorrow at what, on the surface, appears to be tragic loss and catastrophic happenstance.

I was made numb. Incredibly saddened to witness a gift freely offered by a generous spirit sink into disembodiment. But today is another perfect morning.

The sun again is rising in the summer sky, and the waters are again calm and preparing for their daily dance.

Beneath the waters of Deerfield Beach, Rapa Nui Reef calls out but does not whimper.

There will be no resurrection, no Lazarus rising.

But we do hear opportunity calling. There is much we can do.

I am certain that we can, in a spirit of cooperation and unity, recreate a tribute to what tumbled beneath those calm waters.

A tribute to one woman’s generosity, a people’s determination, and a community’s prideful stewardship of something grand in nature.

Rapa Nui is down. It is NOT out.

No, there is no artist’s signature, and it may never be. But there IS a hopeful determination that what was, by bad chance, made unfinished, will be left complete.

Thank You, Dear Friends, for all your Rapa Nui love.

The Power of the Moai

Dennis MacDonald, the artist, Pompano Beach

There are plans to create a second tier, right-side up, on top of it. Send donation checks payable to: Woman’s Club of Deerfield Beach Memo section: Rapa Nui Reef II 910 E. Hillsboro Blvd. Deerfield Beach, FL 33441

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