While not shirking from the worst the modern world throws against us with its violence, its wars, and its racism, these poems offer a "momentary stay" against the personal, political, and environmental perils that afflict us in these desperate days. Always there is an upbeat, often witty tenor to the book, which suggests that the more we are challenged the more we find it in us to call on resources of love and courage that might have lain low at other times. A number of cultural and spiritual heroes figure in the book. The poems are highly readable and classic in their Quaker-like simplicity. They will make you laugh and cry and cheer for the inspiration they offer.