Hog Island
        I am the morning sun upon your face,
                    The drum of rain on Fish House roof;
     I am the weight of fog upon your cheek,
                    The smell of coffee at the break of day.

                                                                I am the ship’s bell calling you to meals,
                                                              The wheeling of the gull, the cry of loons;
                                                   I am the spongy sphagnum of dark forest paths,
                                                              The welcome granite where you rest to watch the sea.

                            I am the chug of lobster boats before the dawn,
                                        The squeaking of the gangplank at the rising tide;
                            I am crisp stars in fathomless dark skies,
                                        The shadow of the osprey’s wing at dusk.

                                                                                 I am wind weaving in the crowns of spruce,
                                                                                           The hissing of the wake behind your boat;
                                                                                 I am the burble of the yellowthroat,
                                                                                           The velvet wing of swallowtail or moth.

                                                             I am nature study realized in your life;
                                                                     Once I have touched you, you are forever changed.
                                                             I am the heart of those who teach,
                                                                     The soul of those who learn.

                             I am Hog Island...
                                        Remember me.

                                                                                                                                   -- Betsy Cadbury, 2002

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