John Knox McIlwain

Fierce Protectors and Kindly Guides John Knox McIlwain

These poems honor the life of the heart and the spirit and speak of a growing intimacy with nature, the land, and the sea. They are grounded in a spiritual path, and though they are sometimes irreverent, they are always full of love for the divine and great gratitude for life. Most reflect the experience of living on the Maine coast and in treelined Brooklyn, New York. Voice is given to the spirits of the mountains and trees, the fogs off the Gulf of Maine, and a sometimes whimsical imagination. They range from reverential to lighthearted, and all come out of a deeply felt gratitude for all life and bring with it its challenges, its sorrows, and its blessings.