…..
A Still Morning
….
eleven fat geese
bathe in the river’s
shallow water
…..
black and white moths
rise
from the grass
a quiet August morning,
the river less
tempestuous,
almost a sleeping god,
one that supports wild birds
and beasts that come
to drink
…..
a monarch rests on
a tomato plant,
closing and opening
its wings:
…..
a summer day
in the Berkshires
…..
This poem is from the chapbook Natural Wonders by Sarah Sutro (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/natural-wonders-by-sarah-sutro/
These poems are guides to seeing up close, they move throughout a year, tempered by the fundamentals of sun, rain, snow, darkness as the basis of human survival, and the re-creation of beauty thanks to a poet’s eye. Balancing inner feeling with outer circumstance, the poet brings awareness to natural processes, that define her engagement with the world. The poems point out split second changes, interactions within the environment, and capture the upfront miniscule moment and the constancy of rhythms, arcs and gifts from nature. A kind of rallying to care for earth’s house and our ultimate survival, they stress the necessity to repeat these daily excursions and the urgency to keep on cultivating, walking, praising, looking ahead – ultimately conversing with the earth every day to protect and appreciate her.
Sarah Sutro is an American writer and artist who has had poetry published in the US, Europe and Asia. Her chapbook Études was published by Finishing Line Press in 2016, and her book of essays COLORS: Passages through Art, Asia and Nature by Blue Asia Press in 2011. Her work has been included in journals, newspapers and anthologies, and she has been a writer and reviewer for American Arts Quarterly and Berkshire Fine Arts. For many years she taught college courses in art and interdisciplinary studies in the Boston area. She was a finalist for the Robert Frost poetry award in 2005. Her paintings can be seen at www.sarahsutro.com.
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