Inwood Winds: Poems from Upstate Manhattan (Paperback)

Poetry is obscene in some sense. You can't define it, but you know it when you see it. The poetry presented here runs a broad spectrum of genres from haiku to sonnet to epic to free verse. It is the product of unhurried reflection and gentle cultivation. Mother Nature is the primary muse. There are works about storms, cats and other wild mammals, birds, a fish, an insect and a short one about a tree. Human behavior for better or worse serves as thematic warp and weft. You'll find focus on (among others) a seminal folk singer, a silent film star, a ship's captain as well as a certain authoritarian charlatan.

Yes, of course, there are love poems.

There is also one about war.

This poetry intends to trigger the imagination, rouse the heart and please the ear - all in equal parts.

As are the many beasts populating Inwood Winds, Steph Shearier is tuned to spheres beyond customary senses.

He is happiest when you giggle.