Poem by Francis Smith Emmitsburg Poet Laureate Lonely as the cloudless deep That yawns with breathless sleep I gasp the night-time-air And with scarce-muted stare Behold the lonely-vigiled night And watch the stars take flight Across the azure trove Wherein the winds have wove A wealth of patient peace To deck the frontispiece Of mine…

Poem by Francis Smith In the gray-green glade dappled by the morning sun patchwork wilderness Hemlock, dogwood, elm grace the rapid woodland scene pierce the plunging rocks Little watery pools reflecting the heaven’s blue form in hollow rocks Gray rock and green tree every glimpse a vista white sun on white waters Lichen, moss, and…

Francis Smith, Emmitsburg resident and local poet, unaware of a poem honoring our beloved state, felt inspired to dedicate an original “Maryland’s Creed.” Recently, he presented Emmitsburg Mayor Donald Briggs with a framed copy, embellished with the State of Maryland’s colors, the State of Maryland’s official bird (the Baltimore oriole), and the State of Maryland’s…