Howling Down the Moon by Judie Rae

In Howling Down the Moon, Judie Rae explores the connections between love and loss, between hope and near despair.  In “Amongst the Alder” she writes: “Hope paddles/a fine course/between/possibility and passion.”  If there’s a word to describe a theme in this fine collection, it might be “hope”.  At times wistful, at times indignant, occasionally with wry humor, the poet’s voice engages and reassures the reader in her ponderings about family and pet and friends.  Her observations of nature serve as metaphors for life’s vagaries, ultimately finding meaning and solace in the natural world.  She seems to say that living full in this world means acknowledging (if not always accepting) all of it—drought and rain the “timeless wind,” the “patience of trees,” quail and turtle, butterfly and deer, and the always-hovering turkey vulture.

–Judy Brackett Crowe

Judie Rae‘s new poetry collection is a paean to all in life that’s fragile, ephemeral, substantial, profound, easy to overlook, and heavy in our hearts. Whether it’s a small gift not given, generational gaps between loved ones, the evolution of desire in marriage, death of beloved animals, or other life events, large and small, that impact our souls, Judie Rae speaks to these in her heartfelt poetry that reverberates with love and humanity.

–Thelma Reyna