Our latest poetic offering, Water, Rocks, and Trees, is now available in paperback worldwide. This is the debut collection of James Scott Smith. The book was given an Honorary Mention in the 2015 Homebound Publications Poetry Prize.
The praise has been pouring in for Smith’s thoughtful work. Catherine Abbey Hodges, author of Instead of Sadness declares “…the work of a gracious and trusty guide, observant, nimble, never didactic, ever an acolyte of the infinite.” Catherine Strisik, author of The Mistress and Thousand Cricket Song reflects, “In his first collection of poems, Water, Rocks and Trees, James Scott Smith kneels and prays alongside creation, and becomes the utterance of the naked soul.” Mary Reynolds Thompson, author of Embrace Your Inner Wild and Reclaiming the Wild Soul writes “…Smith revels in the intelligence and vibrancy of the more than human world. Here, man doesn’t conquer nature—he converses with it. It is a conversation I didn’t want to end.” and it goes on! (Read more reviews)
Enjoy a selection from Water, Rocks, and Trees below. Look for the book in your local indie bookstore or on Indiebound.org, Amazon, B&N or right here in the Homebound Publications store.
Dog
I thumb inside his
big loose ears,
his eyelids descend
to half-mast.
A gentle, giant paw rises
to rest on my arm while
his breath, a sweet warmth, respires
from the deep hollow
of divine conspiracy.
Our history is natural.
My ancestors, and his,
ran parallel lines
along game trails lacing
Pyrenean peaks, paddling
Nova Scotia’s icy waters, searching
through the pass at
Saint Bernard.
His specieshood distinct,
dependence shared, such witness of
evolution, the wellspring of
creation.
My dog,
our wild God,
my soul
confer each day,
we three walk the way
of work and friendship forged
through need and care.
I laugh when
he dances with simple joy,
bucking bronco rearing,
twisting, rolling his exultant head
in circles to say
“come play! come live!”.
Of all the creatures come to
bless my kind,
for this one,
I am most happy
to oblige.