In this radiant new collection, Franz Wright shares his regard for life in all its forms and his belief in the promise of blessing and renewal. As he watches the " Resurrection of the little apple tree outside / my window, " he shakes off his fear of mortality, concluding " what death . . . There is only / mine / or yours, - / but the world / will be filled with the living." In prayerlike poems he invokes the one " who spoke the world / into being" and celebrates a dazzling universe- snowflakes descending at nightfall, the intense yellow petals of the September sunflower, the planet adrift in a blizzard of stars, the simple mystery of loving other people. As Wright overcomes a natural tendency toward loneliness and isolation, he gives voice to his hope for " the only animal that commits suicide, " and, to our deep pleasure, he arrives at a place of gratitude that is grounded in the earth and its moods.
"From the Hardcover edition."