The Ashes begins and ends in poetic prayer. The pages in between--an aesthetic assortment of coupled photographs and poems--mark the seasons, remind readers of the mysteries and miracles of God's creation, celebrate the wonders of life, and venerate the grief of death. The verses--often written in the still silence of the morning hours over coffee--practice the time-honored tradition of meter and rhyme and are to be enjoyed by seasoned readers of poetry and poetry newcomers alike. This book belongs on the coffee table or at the bedside, along with Jennings's first two collections, to be read again and again.