Dances with Light
Isles of Shoals Poems
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
SMUTTY EVENING
Gulls riot and swarm,
Beat the peace
Out of evening,
Sifted by a red sun,
Leadened, sunk against
The indiscernible
Surface of the sea.
On the beach
Lowtide sucks the dregs
From wet sand.
The gulls hunker,
Brood on the
Heavy sense
Of day's end.
PALETTE
Azure, sky-blue, just over the horizon,
Mauve glitters on a far strip of sea,
Dark olive rockweed shows at half tide,
Roses blush, magenta and white,
Thick, creamy yarrow with fern green leaf,
Grey spots on a yellow moth's back,
Silvers and blacks of the birds and the rock,
Gulls gold beaks with a blood red dot,
Pulsing orange lilies, sunny bindweed,
Scarlet berries, auburn hips of rose,
Restless water blues, startled marine teals,
At sunset, the deep purple stage drape
Across hot-pink flames of receding day.
The shock of crimson canopy.
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About the Book
Dances With Light offers images of the Isles of Shoals, a small group of islands ten miles out from Portsmouth, N.H. Poetry is the one form of word-based expression that best approaches the powerful emotional impact registered in our souls by the beauty of the natural world. On the Isles of Shoals, we behold a severe beauty, a harsh environment of rocks and waves, decorated with a zen-like smattering of native birds and plants. In the past, communities of fishermen attempted to live year-round on Smuttynose, Star, and Appledore Islands. Now the remaining buildings and mere foundations of old homes are preserved in time, as visitors and conference attendees wander the acres, bounded by the restless sea, and, in the quiet of the inner mind, consider the past. Smuttynose Island is known for it's infamous and mysterious murders in 1873, of which many accounts have been written. Star hosts conferences in the summers in the big old hotel, and boasts a charming chapel on the high point of the island. Appledore was home to Celia Thaxter with her gorgeous flower gardens, and is now her final resting place. It now houses a Marine Lab where summer classes are held. Of the seven islands, once described, as seen from above, as "emeralds set in a silver sea", each has it's own personality, offerings, and links to the past, into which this slim volume gives glimpses to the patient reader.
About the Author
Kate Leigh's poems have appeared in several local anthologies. She was raised in a literary family, one in which reading aloud was encouraged, practiced, and valued. In the summers, the family traveled to Star Island, and thus began Kate's love for the Shoals. She has lived alone for brief stints on Smuttynose while tending gardens there. Her work as a massage therapist with the staff on Star Island, and her fortunate connections with other island-dwellers, have allowed her additional time to experience the magic of the Shoals. Sailing into Gosport Harbor, mooring overnight, then rowing to the shores of Smuttynose is a favorite summer adventure. Kate lives in Portsmouth, N. H.