The Puzzle Of Poetry PDF Download

Poems are born in the warp and woof of our existence. They arise from the raw material of life and speak to the way we care and the things we share. They are a stop sign on the road of life, a pause to ponder the road behind and plan the trip ahead. Rich Wilbur makes this pause easy with Just Below the Surface, a book of poems that lights our path, stirs the soul and spurs the mind. "Life is an account holding the asset called time" one of his poems begins, and how we use this asset determines the quality of our brief stay on planet Earth. Often a poem is a quiet cove, a respite to reflect on the meaning of life. Rich asserts in "Destiny" that "a poem is a frown at the puzzle of existence, a furrow in the brow - inquisitive persistence." This inquisitive persistence gently leads the reader through poems entitled Eternity, Faith and Doubt, Freedom, Gratitude, Living Now, Melancholy, The Hourglass of Existence, Time, and more, all topics of keen interest to curious people. In part two, the poems celebrate love and family ("a collection of God given friends, bound by love until our journey ends"). Wilbur believes poetry is incurably infected with the events of life, and no events are as central to human happiness as love and family. This collection is a beautiful example of poetic expression, of graceful words provoking a response of the soul to the external world.