Wild Life: New and Selected Poems

Announcing the release of "Wild Life: New and Selected Poems"...

Wild Life is both a cel­e­bra­tion of wildlife and an explo­ration of the human animal. Ultimately, it is a tes­ta­ment to what becomes pos­sible when we see our­selves as a part of, rather than apart from, the nat­ural world. What can an owl, a salmon, or a bear teach us about becoming a better person? What if we re-​​claimed our animalness? What if we sur­ren­dered to the wild life? “What if..?” asks the poet.

Hiraeth Press will donate $2/book sold to the Wildlife Center of Virginia to support their award-winning wildlife medicine and environmental education programs.

For more information and to place an order, visit the Hireath Press website: http://www.hiraethpress.com. 

Note - The book is also available from Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com, and other large retailers.

Advance Praise

“Each morning, I treat myself to a poem by Jamie K. Reaser. Thoughtful, evoca­tive, and welling up from a deeply sacred place, her words are my morning med­i­ta­tion, my morning prayer. Although Wild Life is bun­dled as a book of poetry, I know it to be what it truly is: Spiritual prac­tice. Thank you, Jamie, for such a gift.”

 —Susan Chernak McElroy, author Animals as Teachers and Healers, Why Buffalo Dance

“‘Hold your beliefs loosely, and always test them in the Light’ says Jamie K. Reaser in her lyrical book that serves as a Natura Scriptorum — the sacred gifts of nature trans­lated into poetry. The light that she offers us is at the inter­sec­tion of the nat­ural world and our inner hunger for meaning. Keep this book of wisdom on your break­fast table and begin your day with Reaser’s ele­gant orac­ular lines.”

—Carolyn Raffensperger, Executive Director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. Guardian of Future Generations.

“I am taken back by the bril­liance of Jamie K. Reaser’s poetry. She draws you into the wilds of the land and her heart and deep wisdom steps out to take you home every time. Her love of the nat­ural world and weav­ings of spir­i­tual truth are akin to Mary Oliver. Thank you, Jamie, for the superla­tive gift of your poetry.”

—Mare Cromwell, award-​​winning author of Messages from Mother…. Earth Mother

“In Wild Life, Jamie offers a won­derful cas­cade of sto­ries, a flurry of images and imag­in­ings, that each recon­nect us to our­selves while weaving us boldly into the fragile and extrav­a­gant wild­ness of life. From the immen­sity of the bear to the morning quiver of hermit thrushes, Wild Life shares a wisdom of watching and learning in, and with, the wild.”

—Sean Southey, Executive Director, PCI Media Impact

“Jamie K. Reaser pos­sesses an extra­or­di­nary kin­ship with all crea­tures wild and won­drous.  Through her exquisite poetry and writing, we are allowed priv­i­leged access into the nat­ural world.  Once inside the awe that is nature, we some­times face the very nature of our­selves.  Let Jamie be your tour guide in this wild realm and you shall be rewarded.”

—Gary Tabor, Executive Director, Center for Large Landscape Conservation

A Scarlet Tanager is Singing in a Walnut Tree

Photo: (c) Jamie K. Reaser

Could you for a moment

look up and seek with your

weary eyes

the one singing high in the walnut,

and wonder about him

and this passion he has

beating beneath scarlet feathers -

this passion that keeps

him giving voice to

whatever the day is and is going to be?

Are we all born equally this way,

so simply,

beauty?

So simply,

expressions of ourselves?

I think we are.

And, I think this is true too

of the grey squirrel who plants forests

and the rabbit chewing on dandelion leaves at dusk

and the dandelion being

devoured by a satisfied rabbit.

And the frog.

Most definitely, the frog.

We needn’t try so hard.

Really.

We needn’t.

I assure you.

But, who convinced us otherwise,

and why?

This is a big curiosity.

Do you also think about these things?

I, for one, want to be me,

And to consider that

simply,

enough.

I think this is what the world

needs most of me

right now:

To simply be,

enough.

~ Jamie K. Reaser, Author

Published in "Coming Home: Learning to Actively Love this World"

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