Angels From the Sea by Kathie Sutherland

I came across this lovely book while perusing the library this week and it had a little sign on the front saying that the author will be at the library on Sat May 5. Well, I got all excited because we so rarely have booky things happen in our town, so I grabbed up the book. And I am so glad that I did. Kathie's poetry is rhythmic, flowing, descriptive and just plain pretty! The poems in this book are interspersed with black and white drawings by Don Blanding which are lovely and compliment the poetry.




The poet tells us, in the introduction, that the poems were inspired by the sights she encountered while scuba diving in the Caribbean. I could certainly see myself stretched out on the beach enjoying the images these poems bring to my mind. I hope you enjoy this taste by Kathie Sutherland.

water songs

water music burbles over flat stones

paints dry rock with water colour.

sun pours down its drenching heat

on the angel picking pebbles from the stream,

she's wiping satin algae from speckled stones

smoothing the seams of imperfection.

she's piling twigs and shale

constructing new melodies from waterfalls

creating diversions, damming flow.

she's writing original arrangements

creek crescendos, bars built of sand and silt.

hidden in the long grass,

i hear her harmonizing,

wind-reed voice in fullest plainsong,

"minstrel of the Life stream,

pluck water music from your soul, 

compose your lover's ballad

a cascade of praise to God."