Customer Reviews

The Atheist's Prayer

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Reading The Atheist's Prayer, I felt as if I were watching the poet (or her speaker) moving through a life and a world, from the world of the classroom to the larger, more complex world, from the great ideas embodied in Art to the chaos that surrounds us everyday in world events. I could feel her observing, taking it in, processing it, and making some sense out of it, even if it's that we must remain baffled. There's a sense of wisdom/experience about the speaker, but also an innocence and wonder--reminiscent of Blake. This morning I read "CNN Version of the Slaying," one of the collection's final poems, and I was bowled over by its beauty and power. It is a grim poem, joined by others equally grim, but well balanced by the joy that's captured in other poems. This collection recognizes both the bright promise of our lives and the dark underside. There is need for prayer--the prayer of supplication and the prayer of gratitude--a necessity recognized even by an atheist.