Yogi Berra once said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." Michael Cramer has been a keen observer of everyday life encountered as he was walking or driving around town, while working, or watching children at play. He describes life as it is, surrounded by the lives of thousands of others, including interactions as well as observations and sharing the reality to which he is a witness.

Poetry is the art of taking pictures with words, and these poems are the pictures Cramer has taken while watching life unfold around him. From the jarring images presented in "Holy City" to the touching memories and warm, loving thoughts of a father in "My Child," Cramer captures the images and emotions that inhabit our lives in Vignettes in Paled Light.

My Child

How I long to caress your cheek
gaze deep into your eyes, into your heart
see the memories there of time past
the good and the bad, both joyous and sad
the sporting events, musical presentations, recitals and reviews.

Family memories, time shared
wrestling with your siblings, tickling and being tickled
the blessing of your giggles, your laughter
the heart rending experience of your first tears
Every time you cried ...