It's said that birds in renaissance paintings represent transcendence-whether for their gift of hypnotic song or ability to skip so easily along the trusses of heaven. Regardless, birds have inspired great artists and writers throughout the centuries. Glenn Watt's Walking the Refuge is one such inspired and welcomed work. Through his keen eye and exquisitely musical line, Watt creates not just a fine homage to the mysterious life of birds, but offers a deeper commentary on the nourishing power of time spent alone in nature, an increasingly rare luxury these days. Originally from Wyoming, Glenn has spent the last three decades walking and birding the Chariton, Des Moines, and Iowa river ecosystems of southeastern Iowa. Except for "Fledgling," which came from a film, all of these poems had their origins here. Many thanks to the birds and to those of us who have strived to maintain their habitats.