Captured by Long, Icy Winter: Poems from Gloucester, Mass

The Cardinal Sings I tread the ivy path into the wood to find my sometime brook. Now just a trickle amongst dead leaves. the big gnarled oak still stands, and the red bird sings on. In her first collection of poetry, Margery McManus Leach reflects on her new life in Gloucester, Massachusetts, enduring an exceptionally harsh winter and capturing the delightful surprises of nature's bleakest season. After being injured from a fall in 2006 while on a mission to strife-torn Chiapas, Mexico, Leach left the Southwest for permanent residence in Gloucester and, in the process, found an unforeseen new passion-writing poetry. While her lyrical expressions awaken those with declining physical prowess to a new appreciation for their immediate surroundings, Leach's spiritual and humorous influences illuminate the beauty of God's creation and enduring love in human relationships. As she traces a path through a long icy winter, the garden of her life, and the silver linings she finds therein, Leach brings hopefulness to all aspects of life. Leach's poetry integrates physical, emotional, and divine beauty while providing comfort to the bereaved; offering tribute to the departed, and giving courage to those facing life-changing decisions in a challenging world.