Poet Hait presents sage ideas in a gently illustrated format, centered on questions anyone might ask while traversing the winding road of life. The collection begins with "Fierce Gratitude," a personal exhortation to seek the reward that one deserves but may sometimes avoid. In "Bad News," he speculates that his woes are self-created, but if someone offers him advice, he will listen. Readers will quickly grasp his underlying template: constantly questioning himself while seeking to become the shining example he envisions, which lies beyond his doubts and attachment to self-created direction. He must circumvent the battle between heart and head, absorbing the rapture that is always available.

Sometimes, as in "Poems Are Hard to Read," Hait's frustration takes the form of denying the very means of expression he has chosen, a prime example of his ability to delve into the depths of irony. He finds it difficult, perhaps impossible, to forgive himself for his failings, reaching out to potential sources of amelioration and asking, "What do you got?" A turning point looms as he avers that he has "never been broken," and resolves to "let the Universe help me." He begins to feel the presence of higher realities, allowing him to acknowledge his strengths, reject the shame to which anyone might fall prey, and feel "The Mighty Flowing" that created him "for a reason of my own choosing."

Hait is a retired California-certified family law specialist who has communed with other spiritual guides in his inner journey. His poems, illustrated with delicate, natural imagery, invite his audience to loosen often self-created bonds and move steadily toward acceptance of the ultimate goal: "shining gratitude." Readers will wish to share his deftly depicted, human-scale observations with others while quietly preserving them for personal contemplation.

RECOMMENDED by the US Review

Return to USR Home