Along the Way

“A stunning collection that embraces both the sensuality and the profound meaning of small moments.” – Kirkus Reviews. “Along the Way seems to follow one softly and simply-stated revelation after another as if Rivers is tracking a scent rather than blazing a trail. Either way he is an excellent guide and is comfortable both in and out of form. It’s been a long time since I’ve been so honestly and humbly instructed in a book of poetry.” – Rick Benjamin author of Some Bodies in the Grief Bed Floating World and Endless Distances. “C.M. River’s Along the Way is a collection in which ‘the heartbeat of the world’ becomes a living breathing thing where starlight is a companion on the way and the ‘earth’s power to heal’ is a truth uncovered again and again. You may just find that you come home to yourself as you walk through the pages.” – Heidi Barr author of Slouching Toward Radiance and 12 Tiny Things. “In this skillfully crafted volume C.M. Rivers brings the reader on a pilgrimage of great noticing and a sense of the world through layers of deep experience. Each line leads to something fine and true beyond appearances. Yet throughout this collection is a playful gentle Zen sensibility ? ? as uplifting as it is contemplative.” – Stephen Drew author of Into the Thin A Pilgrimage Walk Across Northern Spain. “In his new collection Along the Way C.M. Rivers confirms that the journey is the destination. The poet offers solace to refugees residents and renegades—anyone who has found themselves adrift or has sought passage into the chambers of the heart. Along the path are jagged stones as well as smooth ones the teachings of winter and the “wisdom of the camel / who teaches well how to kneel / how to work carry water.” These Poems for the Wayward buoy the reader from recognition to astonishment to humility with the tenderness of a sturdy backpack taking us home.” – Amy Nawrocki author of Mouthbrooders and The Comet's Tail