This collection of poetry reaches deep into the soul and massages it to a soothing shine that warms the heart and illuminates the mind. There is a gentle weave throughout laced with an evocative eloquence that almost turns the pages by themselves. There is something living in these words that paul Bluestein has spilled onto the papers of time and the waters of life.

Excerpt from A Short Walk at Sunset

The old man and his old dog walk slowly, / their autumn shadows stretched out long / ahead of them. //

For now though, there will be shared food, / the evening news, and time to rest / in the chair by the window /

while he watches his old dog’s flank / rise and fall with each breath.

Excerpt from Pale and No Wings to Fly

I feel like I could rest here / forever in the fading light / and I want to tell my wife, / kneeling beside me, /

but the lowering sky pressing / down on my chest has left me breathless. //

Besides, I’m not sure she would hear me / over the wail of the approaching sirens.

There are many passages in these poems that will tug at your heartstrings and bring tears to your eyes. This is a book that gets the reader in touch with that still small part of his soul that defines who he is.. Candice James. Poet Laureate Emerita and Author of Rithimus Aeternam ; and The Path of Loneliness .