MJ Moore’s rich and exuberant book of poetry offers wisdom that sees beneath the surface of life and the natural world, pointing us toward greater connections. We journey with her to Vietnam and India, kayak with her on the bay in twilight and taste apple-heavy, autumn air. She guides us to embody moon-reflecting water or crawl inside a lizard skin. We leave MJ’s poems changed. I will be re-reading this book for many years, delighted and a bit haunted by the opportunity she gives me for metamorphosis.

MJ Moore has lived in Miami, Atlanta, Boston, and now the San Francisco Bay Area. Her various incarnations have included technical writer, environmental activist, farm apprentice, teacher, poet, Buddhist practitioner, wife and mother. Her odd collection of skills includes milking goats, driving a tractor, editing books on meditation and library format integration, directing first-grade plays, and chanting mantras in Pali. As a bicoastal being, she thrives on salt air, wind and waves, but also loves mountains and deserts. Poetry is a source of vision and joy, a way to engage the inner life of the heart and celebrate beauty in the world.