Like the mockingbird, poet Stephen B. Wiley tells of what he has learned in a full and generous life. His "repertoire" is wide and varied - inspired by the places and people he has loved, the small pleasures of nature, the joys and sorrows that visit us all and the stories of those he has met along the way in a life that has spanned more than three-quarters of a century.

As he did in Hero Island, his first acclaimed collection of poems, Wiley shows us the world we live in and the simple acts of living with a fresh and observant eye. Come with him to watch the circles that ripple on Foote's Pond or gaze in awe at the cherry tree, as magnificent as a Botticelli, when it comes into full bloom. Or share his bemusement as he contemplates the design and functioning of his elbows.