for Betsy Bilodeau (1955-2015)
Brisk summer breezes
rustle swaying dune grass
under a mid-June sun
as gentle lapping waves
caress the garnet beach,
deposit ocean treasures:
beach glass and starfish—
mementos of other times
when you inhaled salt air,
savored quiet moments
off Casco Bay outstretched
on Hamilton Beach.
A lone osprey swoops
overhead, disappears
in a blazing orange
sunset as the Islander
slides into dock. Tonight
you too quickly vanish
between dusk and darkness,
like a glistening star
slipping behind clouds,
the moment when your
soundless voice calls us.
National Federation of Poetry Societies—Maine Poets Society Award 2017