Saltwater and Fire: Island Whispers, Heart Songs & Quiet Reflections

Saltwater and Fire is a tender, evocative collection of poetry that explores the quiet spaces where strength is born. Through verses shaped by tide and flame, Rose M. Augustine invites readers into a journey of resilience, healing, motherhood, identity, and the intimate wisdom found in ordinary days. Rooted in the rhythms of island life, these poems move gently through the landscapes of heart and memory—saltwater coasts, soft sunsets, moonlit windows, the warmth of family, the quiet bonds of cats who seem to know when to stay close. Each section reveals a different facet of becoming: the grounding power of the sea, the burning truth of transformation, the deep tenderness of love, the clarity found in silence, and the soft comfort of small joys that steady a life. In Saltwater Bones, Augustine writes of origins, roots, and belonging—of an island held not just in memory but in the bones themselves. In Firelight & Ashes, she steps into the shadows of loss, grief, and change, capturing the way fire destroys and reveals, and how we rise from what remains. Heart Songs brings warmth, holding the light of motherhood, connection, and the quiet moments that teach us how to love again. Quiet Reflections offers a stillness that feels like breath—meditations on peace, truth, and the woman found within silence. And in Whispers at the Water's Edge, she closes with gentleness: cats curled by moonlit windows, soft tides, listening stones, and the small blessings that make healing feel possible. With a voice that is lyrical yet grounded, intimate yet universal, Augustine writes for the reader who has lived through storms and found themselves still standing. These poems are an invitation to breathe, to feel, to remember your own strength, and to return—again and again—to the places inside you that remain soft, whole, and beautifully alive. Saltwater and Fire is not just a book of poems. It is a quiet companion for the heart. A reminder that even after fire, even after tides, the light within us endures. Whether you are seeking comfort, reflection, or a gentle hand to hold through your own healing, this collection offers words that meet you where you are—and leave you a little lighter, a little softer, a little more at home in yourself.