•••

(the 18-foot-tall troll of Bainbridge Island)

•••

(for Terri Wolf)

She’s a storyteller, Pia,
sitting in a forest glen
on an island where
someone I loved
once lived.

My best friend,
writer/storyteller,
would admire curly-
haired Pia sitting
serenely amid
the trees,

a sweet smile on her
face, her large hands
ready to embrace
anyone who steps
into them.

Which I do as
another writer/
storyteller friend
takes a photo of us,

we story spinners
here and gone,

wide-eyed in wonder
as this whimsical
being, sitting quietly,
holds so much
peace in her gentle,
giant hands.

•••

Pia the Peacekeeper lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, and was built over seven days in August 2023. She’s made entirely of recycled materials by Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who has done more than 100 giant troll sculptures around the world. She is one of six Dambo sculptures in the Pacific Northwest.

You can watch a two-minute time-lapse video of her construction here.

You can learn more about Pia the Peacekeeper and the other PNW trolls here,