A Visit to Chebeague Island

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