Once again, Humes has mastered the ability to "show" us the moments he's captured in this read. The simplicity of his seasoned writing is as delightful as a light sigh of relief.

In Butterfly Effect, experienced poet Harry Humes draws on the landscape of his native mountains, moving fluidly between the world of physical experience and the world of symbol and myth. Gladiola Man: Each spring he'd plant acres of them,/and not one for sale,/every day weeding, loosening the soil,/fluttering over the spears,/then the big blossoms./He'd kneel, almost invisible/in the rows where we knew/he was talking to them,/sobbing when wind snapped a stem./Each October he'd cut them back./carry the sheaves to the fields' edges,/then dig up the bulbs,/gently life them out,/lay them side by side,/as if he were Leakey at Olduvai Gorge,/standing alone at evening,/fitting together dry silence.

So many poets recently want to make huge declarations about life and art that they sound more like preacher-philosophers than skilled practitioners of the language of poetry. So it was refreshing to come across this gem--a subtle, quiet (yet not so quiet) celebration of the images and epiphanies that touch and affect our lives. A small book (in length) but one with astounding beauty and depth.

These are first-rate narratives, told by a beautiful poet. Their settings -- the anthracite coal region of the speaker's youth, or the PA countryside of his adulthood -- provide perfect backdrops for him to ruminate on the meaning of family life. Humes is a skillful poet, and these sometimes dark, but always tender narratives prove to be some of his best work to date. After reading them, one gets anxious to read his next collection, The Butterfly Effect, which is due out from Milkweed Editions as part of the National Poetry Series next year.

A beautiful collection of memorable, accessible poems. Poems like "The Great Wilno" and "My Uncle's Arm" alone make the collection a worthwhile read. Humes skillfully blends masterful language, humor, and a true sense of understanding of the human experience to create wonderful poems that will stick with the reader long after finishing the book.