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.
Drawn by a timeless signal, I’m caught in a tide of soul-deep gravity. I leave the stone church for the temple of origin— surrendering prayer to silent knowing. Delicate as moth, sturdy as rock, I make my way to love’s first altar. Reading of “First Altar”
Snow-laden mountains across the ebbing tide— a swollen moon floats in the sky. Soft purple camas wave and rise through spring grass, warm sunlight bathes the point. Faces in the stone shore, their ancient stories hushed, cool their feet in the sea. I set my worn book aside, feeling a
The dark tide surges shoreward, cresting white on crags of stone in night’s cold embrace. Stirred by the sea, my heart swells with the throbbing pulse— an ancient song of belonging. We never left the sea. How could we? We only learned to breathe on these green islands and rose
