Wendell Berry is the author of more than 50 books of poetry, fiction, and essays. For more than 40 years he has lived and farmed with his wife Tanya in Kentucky. All of us have a special place on earth where we feel at home and at peace. It is a place that speaks to our soul and never fails to provide adequate shelter and refuge. It gives us more than we know, and we thank God for place and all it has bestowed upon us.
One of the many obligations of being an older person is to pay closer attention to our home and property. Wendell Berry's new collection of 35 poems models for us this double practice of being present and expressing gratitude. From "The Old Elm Tree by the River" (the first) to "Anniversary" (the last), the poet is in touch with the place where he lives and the marital relationship which has given him a companion to share his joys and deal with his sorrows and disappointments.
We especially enjoyed the poems about a first calf, grace after eating, a sparrow singing, silence, praise, leaving home, and inland passages.
