Chuck the bucket list. The greatest adventure in life is not scaling Everest or swimming the English Channel. It is the courageous voyage of exploration into the uncharted ocean of the self. "Who am I?" is the question that begins the journey into self-discovery, and poetry is one of the best vessels for navigating in these richly rewarding but often frightening waters. These thirteen poems and stories illustrate the author's own journey using writing from the 1980s up to the present, and exploring subjects from spring flowers to galaxies, death and despair, sexuality, spring rain, family healing and fallen rose petals upon a table. In bold honest language he describes his own process toward healing, wholeness, and aliveness. Illustrated with the author's photography of the dragonfly, "Breaker of Illusions," this book lends valuable insight into the difficulties and joys of uncovering and gathering the self into wholeness. Excerpt: "I'll...just call these pomes-or better yet, pommes, from the French for apples. Pommes de Coeur: Apples of the Heart....like apples they have nourished me, and like apples they are a replacement for doctors, a do-it-yourself examination, prescription and remedy all in one...Feel free to retreat to your favorite spot, let the breath slow down and share a bite." | Gathering the Self by David Bayard, Paperback | Indigo Chapters