In this new collection of 52 poems, we see a master at the height of his powers, one who has allowed the “wildness” of existence to drive out arrogance. He is our witness on the “yearning shore,” reminding us that even when the world feels shrouded in “desperate folly,” we are not lost. He teaches us a way of communion that requires no chanting or spells—only “one simple yes” to the wonders that persist despite the darkness.
Don Hynes is more than a poet of our generation; he is a keeper of the “hidden stone,” the birthplace of beauty. He reminds us that even as the cultural landscape seems to “descend,” we have the “stars in flight” to guide us. He proves, through every carefully chosen word, that we are “children of the eternal,” and that even in the deepest frost of the soul, we are good.
Crows fill the windswept shoreline, black silhouettes against the sky. The sea is gunmetal gray, with sunlight breaking through rose-tinted clouds. Firs sway and dance above in the wind, below, the silent stone keeps its counsel. As shadows ease with the coming of color, crow wing, tree branch, and life’s
Lifetimes longer than the age of stone, even from sea’s beginning, I counsel with tides, trace runes on the sky, call ravens to my soul. Carry me down to the darkest waters, lift me up to azure heights, I am a man of mortal terror, a wingless angel who will
Earth trembles in rain soaked ground, yet the sea is calm, the old trees heavy with many winters. The peace I know no longer flitting between flowers, but like silent stone gathering stillness to support the sea’s dark depth.
