Midwest Book Review - Poems from the Wilderness

“Poems from the Wilderness lives up to its name, presenting poetry composed on the trail by American doctor/poet Jack Mayer, who celebrates nature with his prize-winning observations. These were composed during his lone hikes along Vermont’s Long Trail and parts of the Appalachian Trail and White Mountains, over a forty year period.

“Jack Mayer began writing poetry during his career as a doctor to help him absorb the challenges of handling patient lives and medical conditions, and several poems reflect this perspective.

“His encounters in nature, through forests and on trails, and the philosophical and spiritual reflections that stemmed from these encounters with self and environment form a strong foundation of free verse replete in spirited and quiet contemplations alike: "Time goes this way, and that way,/and backwards, and not at all./On the trail I can accept all of it,/believe (given the benefit of doubt),/that all is true./I listen for truth in wilderness./Since we can never know,/does it matter?"

“Readers of Walt Whitman, Thoreau, and other nature writers well know the power of nature on the contemplative literary voyager who would survey the wilderness with an eye to rejuvenating soul and perspective. These audiences will especially appreciate Mayer's attention to connecting natural with human affairs, as in 'True North', which addresses navigation challenges of not just the environment, but the soul: "My compass, though scuffed and dented/points magnetic North./When I’ve been lost,/it was not for want of magnetic North,/only my failure to follow the meridian./...My compass needle points me/through that mysterious space/where intuition and ‘the old ways’ reside uneasily/with Dark Energy and quantum uncertainty./More problematic is navigating my soul/with neither compass nor map,/only memory." 

“Poems from the Wilderness is the recipient of the Proverse Prize, an international contest in Hong Kong which includes publication for those who win. It is a testimony to outstanding writing that will especially delight fellow poets and nature enthusiasts who look for winning ways with words and reflections that begin with nature encounters and move outward like ripples in powerful literary waters.

—Midwest Book Review - D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer