Critically-acclaimed poet Eric Greinke has selected log of his best poems for this extensive collection. The poems date from 1969 through 2012, and include thirteen new poems and his prize-winning long poems "For The Living Dead" and "Beyond Our Control" (with Hugh Fox). The poems were originally published in a wide variety of top literary magazines such as Abrecras, the New York Quarterly, the California Quarterly, the South Carolina Review and the Paterson Literary Review. Greinke's poetry has been praised for its thought-provoking, multi-levelled, often dream-like imagery and his creative, stylistic range. Although he employs several divergent compositional processes, his work is sustained by a distinctive and recognisable voice. His tones range from ironically humorous to elegiac, sometimes in the same poem. Many poems, such as "Flood Tide", "April" and "Persona" show a strong lyrical presence. New poems such as the award-winning Shooting Lessons, exhibit Greinke's unique use of lyric devices within an autobiographical narrative.
"Greinke seamlessly weaves together the vibrance of the naturalist with the unsettling images of dream worlds and mimes. His collection of work from more than four decades establishes him as an accomplished pact, seeing both worlds seen and unseen." -- David Wheeler, PoetsWest
"I highly recommend Greinke's new collection of deceptively simple poems that will lead seeking, perceptive readers to the edge of a dream, perhaps, to a new level of consciousness." -- Ann Wehrman, PoetryNow
"Greinke is a spacious poet of Soul. There is an easy flow, an unstrained lucidity, a surreal exuberance about his poetry. The marvel of Greinke is the 'open window' he has sustained throughout a long career of letters. Let us revere this great man of letters in lion-like Age; he gives us so much." -- Charles Thompson, Various Artists (UK)
"Each poem is a cathedral of actuality, of thought, of inspiration. He has the rare talent to walk with our environment, to bring us a profound lesson that nature often has if we listen to the ice crystals or growing green. He takes our hand and shows us what we have forgotten to look at." -- Irene Koronas, Boston Area Poetry Scene
"Greinke writes across a rather broad spectrum. He knows nature intimately, and he's not afraid to let his imagination float and flutter and soar. That boldness takes a certain kind of courage. His lines are written with vigour and thought, a pretty potent combination." -- John Berbrich, Barbaric Yawp
"Eric Greinke's infinite variety has never staled nor withered. His poems have the surrealistic magic of Magritte, or the young Dali. They awaken us with brilliant sunlight on a lake, with a rain of apple blossoms... He is an eclectic poet for all seasons and all times of the day." -- Leslie H Whitten, columnist The Washington Post
"The true mark of art is making people think - and port Eric Greinke does just that. Recommended to poetry lovers everywhere and to any comprehensive poetry community library." -- James A Cox, The Midwest Book Review
