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Until it becomes part of you,
Until you’ve taken in so much
You can no longer feast."
In these poems, the seasons and nature’s inhabitants that make those seasons unique come alive. Fall is a “time unlike any other” in which “the rich harvest gives way / to an unrelenting cold.” Those seasons mirror a myriad of human emotions, including a season of tears and seasons of seemingly lost connections. Readers encounter rejection, grief, and the strangeness of a numbness “that inhabits” an individual and consumes them. Other poems celebrate the cleansing power of nature as the speaker stands in the middle of a storm, waiting for it to overtake them and cleanse them of their troubles. Even more of the poems celebrate “the mightiest of oaks” and even “grains of sand,” which harness nature’s awe, destruction, and rejuvenating forces.
Readers looking for an easily accessible poetry collection that is minimalist in form and slightly philosophical will appreciate this collection. The verses are raw in their depiction of human emotion. Their reverence and respect for nature are also admirable, and those qualities shine in each and every poem. Thus, the poems show the integral role that nature plays not only in human existence but also in human emotions. Nature, too, is a healing force entirely its own, and the way these poems weave together introspections about the natural world with the speaker’s self-awareness are testaments to that force. Readers looking for poetry that will ground and recenter them will find it in this collection. Meanwhile, those looking for poems that can serve as points of daily meditation and even as a devotional exercise will also appreciate this book.