Light and Shadow: Poems and Reflections

By Barbara Letts Blodgett

Light and Shadow is a second collection of poems by the author of Beach Grass. Included are poems and reflections about nature, journeys, life, family and soul/spirit, written as she has travelled or as contemplative responses to moments of quiet. Although the subjects of some poems are quite specific, the underlying themes relate to the whole of human experience, including the love of family and animals, the joy of simply being, the loss of a friend or loved one, the awe of the night sky, and the kindness of another. Some of the poems have the quality of a meditation, others of a story, inviting the reader in as onlooker, participant.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 9, 2014
• ISBN: 9781503514768

Barbara Letts Blodgett

Barbara Letts Blodgett has been a speech therapist, conference planner, and pastoral counselor. She has served as a consultant and a staff member in three Episcopal Dioceses, most recently providing pastoral care for the clergy. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother of seven. Born and raised in Washington, DC, she lived for thirty-three years in Connecticut and for the past seventeen years in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania. Now retired, she spends winters in Florida and summers in Pennsylvania. She loves travel, Jungian thought, mystical writings, and the simplicity of oriental art and poetry. Her first book of poetry, Beach Grass, began as a response to the beauty of the landscape in Pennsylvania and Martha’s Vineyard and, like this second volume, included observations about life and human nature and the ways in which, at heart, we are all alike.

Book preview

NIGHT

Through the window

A hazy moon,

Appears,

Disappears,

Behind wispy clouds,

Building,

building,

Becoming solid.

A strong breeze

Sets the palms thrashing,

The sound,

louder,

louder.

Drawn outside,

I want to know it first-hand -

Warm,

enveloping,

invigorating,

A tropical night

Near the ocean

In paradise.

EARLY MORNING

A quiet early morning,

Silent, but for the creaking of the house,

Song of a bird just outside.

Through the window, I see a doe and her fawn,

Nibbling their breakfast in the pasture.

The rocking chair sits nearby, still,

The chips on its paint, the worn arms

Bespeaking its use over several generations,

A comfort.

This time, precious,

Time out of time,

Outer world at rest,

Inner world calm, full.

I hear your footfall on the steps, your day beginning.

You will go sit at breakfast, drink your coffee.

A shared life, habits of years in the making.

THE PERFECTION OF A LEAF

Order,

The green of it –

Dark, lighter ribs,

The simplicity,

Its design,

Even spacing,

Inherent beauty.

A glimpse into the mind of God.

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HARVEST

Burnished gold

Land and sky,

Leaves and sunset,

The sun low in the sky.

Leaves falling, flying,

Corn stalks yellow/brown,

Having yielded their golden treasure

For man and beast.

Harvest time, a race against the elements,

Crops at peak,

Prayers for clear weather,

Forbearance of rain,

Offered up by farmers, families;

Long days of heavy work,

Culmination of the season’s planning,

Nurture, industry.

Memories of childhood visits

To the family farm,

Uncle and cousins in the fields,

The women preparing a table laden with

Fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy,

Green beans, and pies baked that morning,

Cherry, apple.

The men hot and tired from their work, showering,

Coming gratefully to the table and sustenance.

The fields of stubble, cleared of excess,

Neatly tucked away for winter.

Satisfaction of work well done.

In good seasons, thanksgiving

For nature’s blessing and bounty,

And a well-deserved respite.

FAVORITE TIME OF DAY

A time of long shadows,

I walk in the early morning,

As the sun makes