The recurring images of rising and falling, escape and recovery, spiritual aspiration, and physical decline provide the unifying metaphors of this collection. These poems celebrate the endurance and mourn the frailty of ""the truths of this world"", especially regarding the family, the body, and the realities of nature. At the same time, they express the yearning for, and the elusiveness of, the life of the spirit - ""gorgeous beyond sexuality"". ""Clarity and honesty make many of these poems accessible and attractive."" Maxine Kumin, Final Judge ""Eric nelson writes poems that (to alter one of his own constructions) put off their crowns and ""resume their ordinary lives."" Refusing any lyric note that might embellish or patronise or misrepresent the people and landscapes he loves, he achieves an art whose democratic vistas are and absolute delight to behold."" Sherod Santos ""These poems, though deeply rooted in family and our conflicted world, will get into your head, and fly."" Peter Meinke