Susan Carol Hauser

By Susan Carol Hauser

Somewhere Safe to Sea
Susan Carol Hauser
Even the weariest river
winds somewhere safe to sea.
              Charles Swinburne

Duluth, May 12, 2002
Gooseberry Falls

It is not much comfort -- to think
of you at sea, returned
to the water, or the air,

whatever that land is
that we seem to come from.

It is hard, though, to not
indulge in metaphor:

the rivers of our blood
returning again and again
to the heart;

rain, snow, mist,
even ice returning again
and again to the ocean.

I turn to water, then,
to waterfalls,
on this the anniversary
of your passing, perhaps
with hope of finding you,
falling into grace,
into the quiet water
that down the way nudges
into Lake Superior, resisting
the waves that resist the current,

where I skip stones,
small memories,
and pocket one pebble
for when I am lost,
as though at sea.

"A lovely book... This is a collection of poems that help give meaning to our grief and remind us that we are not alone."
"This anthology is sure to find its way to bookshelves in churches and funeral homes. It's a perfect collection from which to pick a reading for a loved one's memorial service."
"An anthology filled with healing and hope."
"Beloved on the Earth is a timeless anthology, a meditation on 'our capacity for wonder and for grief.' ... The book itself ... is the best book of poems I have reviewed so far this year."
"This would be an excellent resource for families and staff offering a way to be open to healing and grace."

This engaging anthology of 150 poems brings together a range of responses to the experiences of death, mourning, and gratitude for lost loved ones, composed by a variety of poets, both emerging and well-known. These poems can provide insight, solace, and understanding.