Some poems are written from imagination. These were written from the bedside.

At the Edge of Light rises from trembling hands held in silence, from heartbreak met by grace, and from sacred moments when God's presence felt closer than breath.

Written by a nurse, wife, mother, friend, and follower of Jesus Christ, this collection speaks honestly into suffering, grief, caregiving, and loss. These poems do not turn away from pain. They sit with it. They name it. And they gently point toward the light that remains.

For the grieving heart, these poems offer comfort without pretending loss is easy.

For the weary caregiver, they offer words for the love, exhaustion, and quiet courage few people see.

For the person walking through darkness, they offer hope rooted in the steady presence of God.

Through raw emotion and unwavering faith, Shari Brase-Smith invites readers to look directly into sorrow without fear and to discover the gentler truths often found on the other side of heartbreak.

This is poetry for anyone who has stood in the shadows of loss, cared for someone at the end of life, prayed through tears, or wondered whether hope could still be found when the darkness felt too deep.

At the Edge of Light is a reminder that even there, especially there, we are not abandoned.

Shari Brase-Smith, RN, MS, is a hospice nurse case manager, poet, photographer, and follower of Jesus Christ. She has a master's degree in psychiatric/mental health nursing from the University of Michigan and has been a Registered Nurse since 1978.

As a hospice nurse, Shari has walked beside those standing at the threshold between this life and the next. In rooms filled with quiet courage, final breaths, whispered prayers, and the unspoken weight of love and loss, she has witnessed deep human sorrow and the unexpected places where hope still flickers.