Many of these poems render the darkness in today's world and the personal loss all of us must face in life. Yet, tomorrow morning will come and a window will open another day to light. The natural world, the goodness of others, and the holiness of language give us the courage to face the truth and continue to find meaning in the gift of the creative spirit and the simple moments of wakefulness. The last poem ends with this scene: On a beautiful morning when my / wife and I share an apple / with cheese and bread, our ears / glued to the towhee's song, / our eyes askance for wonder, / the neighbor's sorrel prances / down the fence-line, shaking / its mane in the sun.