Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents vi
3. Clouds 1
4. Improvisation (Arrival) 2
5. September 4
6. Different Ways of Speaking 5
7. Improvisation (Distortions) 7
8. Aphorism 9
9. Things Found in a Local Grocery Store 10
10. Letter to a Friend, Unsent 11
11. Beautiful Things 13
12. Trees 15
13. Impossible Things 16
14. Things Found in The Pillow Book of Sei Shōnagon 17
15. Improvisation (Nostalgia) 19
16. Día de Los Muertos 20
17. Improvisation (Away) 21
18. On a Visit to Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty 22
19. Aphorism 23
20. Things that Lose by Being Written About 24
21. Things that Gain by Being Written About 25
22. Billboards 26
23. Clouds 27
24. Thanksgiving 28
25. The Houseless Woods 29
26. Birds 30
27. Birds and Memories of Birds 31
28. Improvisation (Prayer) 32
29. Mountains 34
30. On Safety 35
31. The West 36
32. Aphorism 37
33. Poetic Subjects 38
34. The West 39
35. The Real West 40
36. Improvisation (Boy) 42
37. On a Visit to Nancy Holt’s Sun Tunnels 43
38. Improvisation (Girl) 44
39. Things that do Not Matter 45
40. Things that Matter 46
41. Temples in the Wilderness 47
42. Aphorism 49
43. A December Wedding 50
44. Things thaT lose by Being Photographed 51
45. Things that have Lost Their Power 52
46. Early in the New Year 53
47. On Being Cold 54
48. Aphorism 55
49. March Madness 56
50. Pleasing Things 57
51. Improvisation (This Land is Your Land) 58
52. Aphorism 60
53. Other Wests 61
54. Things That are Hard to Describe 62
55. One Week in April 63
56. Winds 64
57. Late May 65
58. On Natural History 66
59. More Pleasing Things 67
60. Winds 68
61. It Was a Very Hot July 69
62. Insects 70
63. Aphorism 71
64. Trees 72
65. Improvisation (Departure) 73
66. The End of August 75
67. Mountains 76
68. Mountains 77
69. Aphorism 78
70. Things you Can Never have Back 79
71. Things you Can Never Really Know 80
72. Fires 81
73. Acknowledgments 83