Monday, October 21, 2019

Meet SHARON ST. JOAN of Willow Wind Poets

      A poet, a writer, an artist, and one of the co-founders of Best Friends Animal Society near Kanab, SHARON ST. JOAN is a retired licensed wildlife rehabilitator and a life-long advocate for wildlife, wild lands, the earth, and all animals, wild and domestic. The inspiration for her poetry is the world of nature. As a child, she spent hours and days roaming among the woods of Connecticut, Maryland, and South Carolina. In recent years she has traveled over several continents, always seeking out forests, wildlife refuges, other wild places and the intriguing people who work to protect them, as well as the art and culture of earlier times, which was intertwined with the natural world. She feels that all of our wild lands, especially the magnificent lands of Utah which are among the most beautiful wild lands anywhere in the world, are in need of our protection, more now than ever before.


     Sharon recently presented the poem, In Gratitude, she wrote for the occasion of the Grand Opening of the Gratitude Garden at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in southern Utah. 
                    In Gratitude (*just an excerpt) by Sharon St. Joan
Traveling far
Through
Sunlight and shadow
We arrive at a place
Where we pause in the snow-
Winged light
Of many blessings.
The tall, towering cliff, ancient
Guardian,
Whose face
Shines gold
In the setting
Sun,
Watches over
All those who walk in the spirit of kindness,
Wherever they may go.

*Visit this link to hear Sharon read all her poem...  https://app.frame.io/reviews/9f33db97-7890-43fd-9cfe-ca4595534e6b/1d6341d0-bc19-433d-a103-4fec1ef606d8?version=03a36122-7f99-4c51-821b-41c45683fbb2