Marshall Point Lighthouse, Port Clyde, Maine  1-21-18

I am drawn to the colors of the winter sea,
lost in the light,
surrounded by solitude
caressed by a gentle breeze,
while the rhythmic pounding of surf
washes away my grief.

February 7, 2018

In Memorium for Gardiner W. Brown, Sr. 1930 - 2018 Who loves ya, baby!

My Soul Has Found Her Place Again

At the end of the day
On the banks of the stream
By the still water I stand
Warmed by the tea cup in my hand
And watch the calm water
Creased by the wake of a muskrat
Joyfully swimming through
The evening stillness.

I am in the best cathedral
The tall pines forming lush green walls,
And surrounded by the angel chorus
Of frogs,
And the whinny of the robins
As they settle in for the night.
This flat, gray water soothes my harried soul
And I feel the stillness settle in my spirit
And nestle around my beating heart
And I know,
My soul has found her place again.

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 24, 2016)

Canada Goose

You are a wild thing

and from your feathered breast

I feel my own heart beating,

and when you fly and cry

Your haunting wild song

I hear the yearning of my own soul

to know the wild places that you know,

to see the places you have seen,

to feel that wind beneath my wings,

…if only I had your wings, your eyes,

…if only I could sing your wild cries,

…if only I had the freedom to fly.

~Kathie Adams Brown (February 1, 2016)

The Freeing Wind

Trapped inside by this humid haze

My thoughts, a foggy slug

Dullness is the drink of the day,

—I can barely breathe!

—I can barely move!

and I don’t care if I do either…

But, then a cool breeze starts to play

among the leaves in my backyard,

and dappled sunlight does a dance

on the surface of the deck and table

igniting just a little spark of life in me.

Suddenly the trees begin to sway

they clap their hands as Wind blows

all the humidity away!

I turn the roaring air conditioner off!

Flinging windows wide,

I let the Wind inside!

Now the sounds of Nature fill my ears

My thoughts, my mind becoming clear,

I just need to go outside it seems,

And awaken from these lethargic dreams!

~Kathie Adams Brown (September 9, 2015)

Summer Sunday Morning in Maine

I wake to the scent of the salty sea
Black-capped chickadees call to me,
Morning fog floats on the bay,
sea gulls call and fly away,
This is my life on the coast of Maine
where no two days are ever the same.

~Kathie Adams Brown (August 30, 2015)

The Fog of Summer

The damp days of summer,

The green and the gray,

The wet grass on bare feet,

fog rolling across the lawn in gossamer curtains.

I feel a chill in the air,

The harbinger of change—a hint

of Autumn in late July.

There are more summer days ahead,

filled with sunshine, sand, and warmth.

There are waves to ride and sandcastles to build, but

always the winter chill

barks like a dog on a chain

tied up at the back of the barn

where I try to forget him,

and hope I will silence him with starvation.

But he will bide his time and grow strong again.

One day he will break his chain

and glide over the north county in his loping stride

bringing ice on his breath

and snow in his fur

to banish the summer sun

and the autumn plenty.

He carries hunger in his belly

and gobbles up hope.

~Kathie Adams Brown (July 20, 2015)

Summer Rain

I just want to sit and listen to this rain

I want to turn off the manmade world and let Nature sooth my soul.

The repeated phrases of a vireo’s song are dripping from the trees.

Tufted titmice, gray as this stormy sky, scold and call from foliage

embracing me like verdant arms.

This summer rain in the north woods is a lovely place to be;

If the earth is my mother, then,

I am snuggling into her breast

and listening to her beating heart,

and this rain is not the sound of weeping but,

a soothing lullaby.

~Kathie Adams Brown (July 1, 2015)