Stepping Into the River Once

In his seventh collection of poetry, poet and former creative writing professor Danny Rendleman finds his inspiration from the words of Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who once said, 'One can't step into the same river twice, since the river never remains the same." But Rendleman takes it one step further. With an elegant and flowing style, Stepping Into the River Once continues an exploration into both the delight and dread that the author discovers after a lifetime living in and enduring America's Midwest. Rendleman offers both serious and humorous lines about a dying friend's comment to him one day: ''Nice ugly toes,' she said. Who could not love someone who is so delicately honest? And I do. But I love my toes, too." He also shares childhood memories of a mother who could can anything for the winter ahead: 'My mother claimed to be able to preserve anything-lemons, pig parts, venison, whole chickens." In Stepping Into the River Once, Rendleman opens his heart and shares his thoughtful perspective on life and his surroundings, and his easy, though often challenging, and playful style will surely appeal to readers of all generations. 'These are ambitious and illuminating poems that one will return to again and again." -Herbert Scott, in praise of Rendleman's previous book, The Middle West