Mused : BellaOnline Literary Review Volume 3, Issue 2 Summer 2009

Summer's gentle breezes encourage us to slow down, look around, and drink in the beauty of nature. The smallest grasshopper can offer a warm chuckle. Dragonflies balance on thin branches. Roses and marigolds are life's living jewels. Intermingled with these images are visions of a different dimension. One poem puzzles at the mystery of autism. Another immerses us in a summer thunderstorm. The stories accompany us on journeys - to a subterranean memorial in France, to an ancient church in Malta, to a quiet farm in rural India. Become immersed in an account of attending Obama's inauguration in Washington DC. Then nestle in for more personal stories - the helpless sadness as a father's life fades, the nervous pride as a mother watches her child stretch his wings and fly. End with the warm embrace of immense inspiration via singer Mary Travers, member of Peter, Paul and Mary. Mary touches millions with her social activism. Her final words in the interview: "Be kind to your neighbor."