Poetry Edition / April 2023

Photo taken by Mary Bardsley, Isle of Bute, Scotland, 2022

Sometimes there's nothing like sunshine streaming through an old relic, green grass at your feet, and a feeling like you have stumbled upon something magic, which is what it was like when I hiked the Isle of Bute in Scotland last year. When I finally finished the trail, it was as if I'd been given a gift with each step with gorgeous vistas around every bend.

Photographers say that Scotland has the most types of green found anywhere, shades that are unique to the area, which is why I kept stopping in an attempt to gather all of the greens in all their glory, though knowing it was only an awareness to bathe in, and not to capture. It was meant to be experienced, sensed, and reflected in the eye only.

So, this spring, as we move towards more green, and lush, and sun, remember the relics of your life, the grass and earth underneath you, and the feeling that you can only breathe in. When you stumble upon beauty, let the shades of green root themselves into you, and walk away satisfied with all you've been offered. With a poem on your tongue and warmth in your bones, keep walking, letting the road curve.

Enjoy this all poetry edition! In April we celebrate National Poetry Month; we celebrate all of our submitters, we celebrate our readers, and we celebrate all those who carry poems in their shoes, their eyes, and their blowing hair. Thank you for reading, and thank you for being on the trail with us, just beyond the bend.

Best,
Laura, Mary & Leslie