Closing Season

Heartbeat of Gaia: this section views snatches of the natural world through both a microlens and a macrolens. Of particular interest may be "Nunavut Lament,"a lengthy prose piece that addresses global warming through a dystopian view in the year 2430 of life above the Arctic Circle, the last habitable region of what used to be North America. Half of the pieces in this section are devoted to the ancient, classical haiku form.Spirit Over Life's Waters: focus of this section is the interior life, supported by meditation, as the path to self-knowledge and the acceptance of life's demands. There are occasional references to the teachings of Jesus, the inspiring teacher.Republic on the Precipice: political and social issues are covered here. Many of the pieces deal with the slow erosion of American values, particularly in the period 2016-2020, and the precarious state in which democracy has found itself.Life from Within: this section offers snatches-many cast in prose-from memorable events and characters in a checkeredlife. Included are vivid wartime memories of author's Austrian wife, Lisa.