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RamblingsIt has been an unusually warm onset of Fall here in my new home in the Pacific NorthWest. Mid October and the leaves are only now tumbling from the trees. It has given me an opportunity to begin to become acquainted with all there is to see - not comprehensively, of course, but a beginning. I spent time at Mt. St. Helens last weekend. I had visited before, some 12 years or so ago and it was a wonder for me to see just how the landscape had softened since my last trip as life had literally taken root again and quickened the pace of renewal. Of course, the volcano itself retained its grim austerity and from the wonderful vantage points provided by the Forest Service it is possible to look directly into the maw of the caldera itself where even there regrowth is taking place and a new peak building that will one day push up past the crater. Not that this has much, if anything, to do with poetry. Nature's grandeur, beauty and austerity has always been an inspiration for poets whether as a subject or as the location for quiet contemplation. I don't know to what extent nature plays a part in inspiring the wonderful group of poets featured in this issue, but I suspect rather a lot. Enjoy the season,it will slip into winter before we know it and I, for one, don't intend to let this one pass by without making sure I make the most of every bright day. Chesil
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