Ode to Oceanside: A Celebration Of The Destination

OCEANSIDE, CA — One of the crowd favorites at the 2021 Oceanside Tourism Summit was a poem by Mike Sonksen, Ode to Oceanside: A Celebration of the Destination. Mike wrote the poem at the request of Visit Oceanside to commemorate this year's summit theme 'The Comeback'.

Tell us what you think Osiders! Give Mike's poem a read, and let us know in the comments section below if you agree that it captures the spirit of Oceanside.

Ode to Oceanside: A Celebration of the Destination
By Mike Sonksen

O’Side, Oceanside, let’s go
Outside Oceanside!

Here’s to Oceanside’s authentic landscape,
quintessential coastal place to escape
Come to Oceanside & celebrate
Shout out to Rais Case making masks
How about the Oceanside Kitchen Collaborative
serving the constituency like the CRG Food Pantry
Keep it going for the Oceanside Theater Company
and the Oceanside Sports Commission for their uplifting vision

Get inspired—20 Women artists now
at the Oceanside Museum of Art
Have a taste, unwind at Coomber Craft Wine
align your mind & heart with Studio Ace Art
working together for bigger goals
We’re interconnected like LinkSoul
Oceanside resides in one
of the best climates in the world
but it’s more than just a beach
the foothills stretch from the farm to the sea

Take a ride on Pacific Coast Highway
celebrate Pacific Coast Spirit
Let’s hear it for locals & tourists
There’s Space to feel safe
We celebrate your resilience & endurance
Walk along Pier View Way, drive down
Mission Avenue out to San Luis Rey
Visit Mellano Farms & look out over
a hillside vista, See the sailboats
off in the distance
The storms passed
Here’s to brighter days

Camp Pendleton’s marine base
is a sacred space for generations
of Oceanside residents
Thank you for your service & presence
We salute your past, present & future

Weddings on the water along the ocean
everybody West Coasting on the Pacific
Ironmen biking down the coast
Long distance runners doing the most
on the road to recovery a new Roaring 20s
behold the beautiful in your own backyard
California idealism, a Mecca of modernism
The geometry of city hall, seashells
in the sidewalk, Downtown’s Makers Market
the fountain at the library, stroll down
artists alley, hit the Beach House Winery
grab a libation, feel the breeze blow,
you can go birding or urban organic farming,
Or even a walk about in the South O
we celebrate you

O’Side, Oceanside, let’s go
Outside Oceanside!

Take a spin around the harbour

You can whale watch all year
Savor the technicolor sky in the golden hour
Oceanside’s sunsets have healing power
like the saving grace of surfing, get schooled
on wave science at the California Surf Museum
Oceanside, let’s boogie!
walk the plank along the Oceanside pier
gaze at the glassy Water billowing in the twilight
see the seagulls diving, young couples walking
below palm trees leaning in the wind
See the musicians jamming on their guitar

Bravo to Mira Costa College
Bravo to the Cities Emergency Operation Center
Bravo to the Tri-City Hospital
Bravo to all essential workers!
We are stronger together
after the year we’ve weathered
We support & celebrate all of you
Thank you for your devotion
to Oceanside & all you have done
keeping everyone safe

Here’s to everyone
working together
we can make it better
than ever
After all this time inside,

O’Side, Oceanside, let’s go
Outside Oceanside!

Mike Sonksen is a Professor, Poet & Author of Letters to My City

I was born in Long Beach and am a 3rd generation Southern Californian. One of my biggest missions is to remind Californians to appreciate their local landscape. 7 years ago I wrote a cycle of poems called, "Poetics of Location." All writing begins from a location. For that matter
whether you are an artist, historian, musician or photographer, you always consider a location and everything associated with that space.

We are all coming from a specific location. I am someone who has the capacity to appreciate each space and place for their unique attributes. I feel like in this age of technology, a lot of folks have begun to take nature for granted. We need to appreciate the world right in front of us.

I have fallen in love with Oceanside because it is some of the last uncut coastline left in Southern California. I love the way the foothills meet the sea. So much of San Diego County is akin to a cul de sac the way the foothills rim the coast. It makes the beach areas in Oceanside quaint and more intimate.

Two years ago my book, Letters to My City was published by Writ Large Press. It's a collection of essays and poems honoring people and places across mostly Long Beach, Los Angeles and
greater Southern California. There are geniuses and gems in all corners of California.

In addition to the countless assets of the geographic landscape, I love all the everyday heroes who make up our California cities. I was inspired by the stories of the Oceanside residents who made masks and fed their fellow citizens. In spite of how difficult times can be, human nature is more beautiful than we can ever imagine. My poem is honoring both the landscape and these brilliant citizens and organizations who make Oceanside such a special place. Many thanks to Leslee Gaul from Visit Oceanside for asking me to write the poem.

I presently teach at Woodbury University and I also taught high school for several years. I frequently have students write about their own neighborhoods and family history. The simple act of appreciating the world around you is a major step that leads to more peace of mind. The act of gratitude and appreciation sends out ripples around us and is one of the first things we can do to improve the world around us.

Have a news tip or suggestion on how we can improve Oceanside-Camp Pendleton Patch? Interested in advertising your business in Oceanside? Email any inquiries to me at lisa.frost@patch.com.

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