Book excerpt: Poetry, by its very nature, is well-suited for pointing out the mysterious aspects of life that seem to disappear if we look directly at them. It is these mysteries that open up the essence of who we are at our very core. Strip away the layers of rationality and belief, the filters used to protect us from fear and pain, and we can begin to see what is and find the truth. For writer Kevin A. Shuey, the search for truth reflected in these poems includes attention to nature and what he calls “organic wisdom” experienced in the relationship between humans and the world. Like the Australian Aboriginal tradition of deep listening, he believes that such attention needs to be directed both into the world and within ourselves. Laughter of Water, Wisdom of Trees is a collection of more than fifty of Kevin’s poems written over several decades. The pieces reveal landscapes his life’s journey has taken him through, both in his outer life and his inner one. He views the poems as scratches on trees that mark his way, showing both places of rest and places of struggle, as he works to reveal the unity disguised as infinite interconnectivity.