So delighted to have this poem published in the Massachusetts Bards Poetry Anthology 2025. Published by Local Gems Press, the anthology is a collection of poems written by poets associated with the state of Massachusetts, where I currently live.
I am especially happy to have work appear in the same collection as a highly published, award-winning poet whom I admire greatly and call a friend, Alison Stone.
I can’t find a link to order the book, but check back with Local Gems Press. Since I can’t include a link for the anthology and my attempts to illustrate this post with a photo of the pages didn’t succeed, I’ve re-printed the poem below (copyright Faye Rapoport DesPres).
The Last Sunrise
The last sunrise is off
center, hidden
beyond the lip
of the peninsula.
Waves muted,
the trawlers
slide steadily
towards the sea,
motors rumbling,
trailing wakes –
the fisherman’s life
long known.
But today
the last sunrise
eyes their progress,
preparing to leave
the sky a powder blue,
pale in comparison
with what
comes next.
Still, ducks flap
and extend their necks,
seagulls sail
above the water,
and the geese,
who know
what we
can’t see,
take wing.