by Jenny McKinnon Wright
Rain Shifts
storm intensified
bone-chilling, blustery winds
sheets of rain blew sideways
I shivered, fought to steady my hand
oyster paint streaked the canvas
dark clouds spat in my face
water droplets blurred my vision
like fog settling in
heavy rain, menacing clouds
masked Oak Island Lighthouse
its faint, far-reaching beam
penetrated briny air,
winds stirred tidal waters
disturbed Cape Fear River
I blended shades of gray
while waves charged the shore
battered salt marsh grasses
clung to waterlogged soil
sulfurous vapors
permeated my nostrils
melancholy day
weighed on my paint brush
as I struggled for balance
between gloom and beauty
Suzanne Cottrell is an outdoor enthusiast and retired teacher. Her poems have appeared in numerous anthologies and journals, including The Broken Plate and Poetry Quarterly. She’s the author of three poetry chapbooks: Gifts of the Seasons, Autumn and Winter; Gifts of the Seasons, Spring and Summer; and Scarred Resilience (Kelsay Books). https://www.suzanneswords.com.
Jenny McKinnon Wright is an award winning artist who believes that working on plein air allows her to “capture the emotion that only painting on location can offer—the light, composition, the colours that I actually see.” Her work appears in various galleries, private collections, and The Broken Plate. https://www.artofjmw.com.