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!

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)

Questions by the Restless Sea

Standing on the silver shore

by the shining sea

Seabirds fly

and seabirds dive,

Like thoughts inside of me

as ocean waves toss and roll

so my heart heaves inside:

Will I go or, will I stay

Here by this restless tide?

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 27, 2015)

NaPoWriMo 2015 / 30 Poems in 30 Days

A Seaside Goodbye to My Son

It was just a

walk to the bay, where

silver water shines, and

steel wool clouds cover the sky

perfumed with the scent of the salty sea,

today it is the fragrance of parting.

You are my son,

Tall man and strong,

I see my son,

I see my boy,

in the man you have become.

I am content with who you are.

My heart swells like the sea,

inflated by this tide of love,

these few moments together

before you fly away from me again,

a free bird.

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 25, 2015)

NaPoWriMo 2015 / 30 Poems in 30 Days

The Wild Blue Sea

View from Land's End on Bailey Island, ME  3-16-14

I wait on the wild blue shore to see,

I wait to watch the wild blue sea,

What are the creatures, what of the birds?

When will the wind blow?

What will I hear?

What are the colors,

All shades of blue,

Some shades of gray,

Some green too.

Here in the bay by the wild blue sea,

here I am waiting for whatever will be,

Why am I drawn to this wild blue sea?

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 10, 2014)

NaPoWriMO 2014

Morning on the Bay

Mere Point Bay, Brunswick, ME March 2014

The silver bay is flecked with gray, then blushes a soft pink,

The shining sun has just begun to rise above the drink,

And so the morning softly comes upon the silver bay,

And all the birds burst into song to welcome the new day.

~kathie adams brown (March 18, 2014)

A Shanty for a Prairie Sea

There is a different kind of sea

Where prairie grasses wave to me

And ripple over verdant plains

A place where I’m a child again.

(Chorus)

Let the wind blow, let the grass roll,

Let the birds sing over my grassy sea,

Vast sky above, I am in love

With this green and gold prairie grass sea!

Here in my sea of grass

The prairie flowers bloom at last

Refreshed by spring and summer rains

The prairie is renewed again.

Let the wind blow, let the grass roll,

Let the birds sing over my grassy sea,

Vast sky above, I am in love

With this green and gold prairie grass sea!

How the wind howls as skies grow dark,

Silencing the meadowlark

Clouds boil up in the sky over me

And pour down rain on my grassy sea.

Let the wind blow, let the grass roll,

Let the birds sing over my grassy sea,

Vast sky above, I am in love

With this green and gold prairie grass sea!

And when the prairie storm is done

The dark clouds part and there’s the sun

And arching over this grassy sea

A rainbow frames the world for me.

Let the wind blow, let the grass roll,

Let the birds sing over my grassy sea,

Vast sky above, I am in love

With this green and gold prairie grass sea!

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 3, 2013)

NaPoWriMoDay 3

I Cannot Tell a Lie

Sandy Point Sunset, Plum Island, MA

I could tell you that an elephant walked

right through my Arizona yard today

stomping my cactus into a mess,

leaving my garden all a wreck!

I could tell you that I took a ride on a feathery cloud

over the mountains through an azure sky,

when I was bored at lunch time.

I could tell you I turn into a silver mare at night

with wings on my feet and a silken mane,

and that I follow a moonbeam path into the starry sky

Galloping all the way!

I could tell you I was lost at sea

tossed and tumbled in cold blue waves,

and just as I was about to drown

a humpback whale brought me home,

and sang to me along the way!

I could tell you I once met Madame Curie

And she let me help her in her laboratory,

And that I was really the one who discovered

The magic and mystery of radium.

I could tell you I crossed the wide prairie

with grasses long and flaxen in autumn

with long skirts flowing in a prairie wind,

and buffalo thundering by!

I could tell all of these things and more,

But…

as He of the Cherry Tree said,

I cannot tell a lie, so I’ll tell a story instead!

~Kathie Adams Brown (April 2, 2013)

NaPoWriMo 2013 Day 2

Run to the Wild Places

Whenever I am lost to myself

I run to the wild places

Seeking my true self

In the deep green forest of New England,

I am the Wood Thrush’s song,

In the Colorado Rockies

My spirit soars with eagles,

In the dry desert canyons of Arizona,

I run with the coyotes,

Along the ocean’s shore

I cut through the air like a shearwater,

Or play in the surf like a sanderling,

I am an antelope on the prairie,

A wild horse running on the plains,

I am a wild thing, and I need these wild places,

For they are all me,

And they make me feel alive.

~Kathie Adams Brown (February 7, 2013)

September Ocean

It has been so long since waves
have pounded their sweet song in my ears,
since sea gulls have gathered in the sky or on the sand,
since sea shells have collected beneath my feet.
White foam reaches for my soles
I giggle at the feel of salty wetness caressing my toes,
clouds of gray-steel-blue crumple overhead
with curtains of light streaming through.
The beach is vacant save for those few
who treasure this autumn ocean mood,
this solitude, this ocean song
that dances through my being once again.

~kathie adams brown 9-17-10