Gifts of Nature, Gifts of Grace. . .
Linda Thayer
Cat’s Paw Press
$5.00
Review by Rene Schwiesow
If you lived anywhere near Boston during 2004 you could not miss the fairy tale season of the Red Sox. Thayer’s section of “Gifts of Nature, Gifts of Grace. . .” entitled “real faith,” is dedicated to the Red Sox and their miraculous season. A season that ended with their winning the World Series, their first World Series Title in 86 years.
last night i laughed
today i cried
a gray bearded man
held a young boy’s hand
their bright red B’s
on caps of blue
a pledge, a promise
now and forever
that sometimes dreams come true
last night i laughed
today i cried
Thayer then swings into a rendition of “psalm 2004”
Schilling is my pitcher
I shall not want
he leads us into deep innings
in pennant races
for his team’s sake
she ends with a chant, that despite the Sox record this year, lives in the heart of every die-hard Red Sox fan:
i will dwell in Red Sox Nation forever
Amen
Of course the “real faith” works comprise only a small portion of the book, but I could not help but to allow readers the opportunity to relive that glorious 2004 season!
The section that precedes Thayer’s vocalization of “real faith” Red Sox allegiance is entitled simply “faith.” As a fan of coffee, I enjoyed the title poem of the section:
I’ve tasted my share
of this bitter old coffee
right from the bottom of the pot
but I’ve always believed
there’s sugar somewhere. . .
Me too!
Other notable works include a poem entitled “the conversation” that takes place between two people on a Sunday morning where “church” was found in the strangest place and a moving piece about a man and his dog in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, entitled “Lou’siana man, on not leaving his dog behind.”
From questioning the right of weeds, to nurturing relationship, to waving Red Sox banners, Thayer’s book offers us food for thought on finding those gifts of grace in the most unlikely places. Linda Thayer can be reached at lthayerm@aol.com
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