I Drink Beauty From Any Cup

Linda Zralek went to heaven in 2014, and her funeral was a fest of her poetry.A note from the poet: "I Drink Beauty From Any Cup" is a poem I wrote many hears ago. To notice and to appreciate beauty is as important as breathing to me. Simple beauty, everyday beauty. The beauty of nature, of poetry, music, art, the beauty of all children, the beauty in the goodness of those I love and in others I barely know. I drink it all up and I am always grateful.A note from Linda's beloved Jim: In her humility she would hesitate to let others read her poems. She showed me only one of them. Whether it was spring's first jonquils, giggling grandchildren, a breeze on the screened-in porch, or the smell of coffee, they all primed the pump within her and began the flow of poetry. After living with her for forty-four years I suspect the pump produces water from heaven.Publisher Notes: These poems are presented in the order chosen by Linda's beloved, Jim Zralek. His arrangement is an impressive work of understanding, and I think the reader will agree that it brings to the collection a truly invitational flow which a chronological rendering may not have offered. Where Linda noted dates of composition these are given discreetly. The poems are also given in differing fonts in an effort to be faithful to how Linda recorded them over the years. Steve Wolf, IDJC Press, idjc.org