For the Lost and Loved: --poetry working with grief and loss

Both love and loss profoundly affect us in so many ways. In this, Ray Whitaker's fourth collection of poetry, we are invited to contemplate and reflect upon how each of us responds to moments of love discovered, laughter and beauty shared, everyday's strengths and frailties tested. We also respond to life lost and those times when we are lost. We mourn as well what is lost while just being human. Ray provides the key to this collection's value in dealing with the emotions that bombard each of us in our personal journey through this life. "One must deal with it, or be driven by it. Choosing to work with the sadness is better than being beaten by it, frozen by it. Bring it in, make that part of you into that which gives you the strength to carry on."

He again shares his versatility both in style and subject matter. In "SAYING AWWW" he explores a long term definition of love. While in "GET THERE, CURRENTS, BLUE CHAIR and LITTLE BLUE BUTTERFLYS, " the focus of those poems is the loss of a spouse. He also discusses Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD, IN 5 PARTS displaying the soldier's point of view. Moving on, the book helps us understand the stress the medical team feels in the critical care unit with "COMMUNION." When we are grieving, we try to understand the what and the why. We struggle to find solace, answers to questions we find hard to ask.

This is the rare book of poetry you will keep by the bedside, to turn to for comfort and insight. It can also be a cherished gift for friends and family members.

HANK BRUCE