Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents ix
3. Foreword xi
4. Acknowledgments xvii
5. Introduction 1
6. Part I. POETRY IN PEOPLE
7. 1. Kindred Spirits: Sea of Souls 13
8. 2. Intimacy in Language: Poetry in Family Expressions 35
9. 3. Laughter for Dessert: Lightness of Being 45
10. Part II. POETRY IN PLAY
11. 4. The Poetry of Ping-Pong: The Art in Sport 55
12. 5. Days of Chess and Backgammon: Life’s Game Board 63
13. 6. Inventing a Language for Love: Sex as Poetry and Play 69
14. Part III. POETRY IN SERVICE
15. 7. Poetry on the Porch: A Time Set Aside 89
16. 8. All My Trials: The Healing Powers of Poems and Tales 93
17. 9. The AIDS Poets: Living with Dying 98
18. 10. Oh Did You See the Ashes Come Thickly Falling Down? September 11 Street Poems 105
19. 11. The POEMobile Dreams of Peace: Writing with Light 117
20. 12. Free Market Flavor: Poetry of the Palate 127
21. 13. The Poetry in Science: Metaphors to Explain Mysteries 132
22. Part IV. POETRY IN THE LIFE CYCLE
23. 14. Navigating Transitions: Poetry in Rites of Passage 143
24. 15. The Human Unit of Time: The Space between Memory and Legacy 161
25. 16. Your Body as Symbol: Written in Ash 168
26. 17. Intimations of Immortality: The Artist’s Secular Sphere of Spirituality 177
27. Part V. POETRY IN YOU
28. 18. God Is in the Details: Your Ur-Poem, Your Place Moments 193
29. 19. Breath on the Mirror: Finding Your Own Voice 201
30. 20. The Best Stories versus My Story: Shepherding the Word into the World 212
31. Part VI. POETRY IN STONE
32. 21. The Grease Lamp’s Flicker and Flare: Dark Caves Illuminate 227
33. 22. Lion’s Gate: Myths as Metaphors 232
34. 23. Rock and Word: Building a Stone Wall as a Lesson in Poetry 244
35. For Further Reading 247
36. Notes 249
37. Permissions 261