Poetry: To Morning

Jun 1

Written By Tricia Gates Brown

{Originally published in the Spring 2022 issue of VoiceCatcher}

To Morning

Morning. verb. 1. To wake another by crawling into bed, laying one’s head of their abdomen, and holding them around the waist. “He awoke each day to find her morninging him.”

Unfair almost how we wake—

sun or shadow

bird song or rain,

alive again to pleasure.

You beside me, waiting in sleep

(dog needing out;

farmhand arriving)

and I morning you.

Sometimes by midday I miss you.

Parallel lives, different domestic

domains; prescriptions of a day,

the demands of provision

—so much to do besides loving.

Then again, night. Goose-flesh on my neck

as you stroke hair from my shoulders,

trace the S-curve of thigh and hip.

Some mornings the wanting is quickened

by absence, and I morning you more

as I hear it.

Hair of your belly

on my face,

sweet smell of your skin

in my nose,

I think of when your body

as only a memory

will remain.

The absence encroaching like a train

heard long up the track, miles

before visible—quiet at first

then ever louder.

Tricia Gates Brown

Tricia Gates Brown has worked as a professional editor and co-writer since the mid-2000s. Though the bulk of her current work is for the National Park Service and Native tribes, her expertise is broad. She has experience in academic and creative writing and strives to honor an author’s tone while improving a written piece. She holds a PhD from University of St. Andrews and edits everything from academic works to poetry, while her own essays, creative nonfiction, and poetry have appeared widely in journals. A 2022 Independent Publishers Award (IPPY) Bronze Medal was awarded to her novel Wren.

Yestertown

Poetry: When Summer Came

To my work as editor, I bring a writer’s heart.

I understand the vulnerability of putting your treasured creations into someone else’s hands; I understand the value of revision and refinement; I stand by the power of words. If you contribute to the world through writing, I want to midwife your most instructive, clear, inspiring, beautiful work, and to empower you in your calling. 

After 20 years as editor, I’ve edited hundreds of written pieces and dozens of poems. And as a seasoned, published writer, my experience with and mastery of many genres allow me not only to edit different types of writing, but to transcend categories and reach places unique and magical. I want to make your prose more poetic, and your poetry more potent and concise. 

Whether you have reached the last stage of your life and want to share your story and insights, whether you are an academic with ideas to convey, whether you have intuitions that call people to richer lives, whether you’re wrestling with faith and doubt, whether you’ve struggled to find belonging, I will approach your project with empathy and capacity born of decades of experience. My ear is well tuned to clarity and honesty in writing, and appreciative of improv. I care about your story. I care about the wisdom and knowledge you communicate. I am skilled at listening and valuing of integrity. Whatever writing struggles you want to overcome, whatever transformations you desire, I can help.

Favorite categories: Memoir, History, Native Studies, Poetry, Social Justice.

My brief bio: I have edited professionally since 2008, working extensively on projects for the National Park Service and Native tribes. Additionally, I’ve edited everything from dissertations to poetry. My own essays, creative nonfiction, and poetry have appeared widely in journals, and my debut novel, Wren, was awarded a 2022 Independent Publishers Award (IPPY) Bronze Medal. See my long list of publications. I hold a PhD from University of St. Andrews. Feel free to CONTACT me.

Client Endorsements

Douglas Deur, PhD, Department of Anthropology, Portland State University:

“Tricia Gates Brown is an editor of rare talents. She has worked with me for a dozen years or more, editing works in Anthropology, History, Ethnobotany, and related fields. Most of these writings I have delivered into her care, knowing that each one presents its own challenges: they arrive full of urgent little intricacies, and with cultural sensitivities both weighty and diverse. Some are densely technical and specialized reports; others are essays, pitched toward both the heads and the hearts of general audiences unfamiliar with the topics and terrain.  Tricia understands the many nuances of such material—tracking all the important details, navigating the sensitivities, waging patient campaigns against the customary technical shortfalls, and thoughtfully factoring each work’s intended audiences and venues into her editorial decisions large and small. Yet, her skills extend well beyond those of a conventional editor. Holding a doctorate from University of St. Andrews, she brings a wealth of personal experience in publishing – as an editor, but also as an award-winning author of her own works of short fiction, non-fiction, novels, memoir, children’s books, poetry, columns, newsletters, and more. Seldom does a writer have the opportunity to work with an editor like Tricia, with such a wealth of knowledge and experience, and an all-encompassing view of the craft of writing. She comprehends every stage of the writing process, from the imaginative beginnings to the published conclusions. For writers seeking to navigate this landscape, Tricia can be an excellent coach and copilot, while providing efficient assistance on customary editorial matters too.”