Twisting and Turning

J. Larry Nance's Universe stimulates thought about the way the world works—from life and death to nature and the cosmos. Through Nance's poetry, the reader gets the sense that even when we are long gone, the universe will continue to run its course. With imagery such as, "in the sky, in the flying of clouds"—we sense that life is fleeting.

"Twisting and Turning," in particular, presents the forces of the universe that are in motion, working together seamlessly. This poem glorifies the complex nature of the universe, while questioning where do life and death fall into place in the grand scheme of things?

Contemplating the universe often results in utter amazement and sheer bewilderment. What we know is amazing, yet there is still so much we don't know about our universe that is thoroughly perplexing. There are plenty of questions about life, death, and what makes the cosmos tick, and while Nance's Universe doesn't seek to provide pat answers to all of our questions, it does stimulate thought. To be sure, this compilation is a must-read.

The precision and clockwork with which the universe operates is likened unto the inner working of a clock in "Twisting and turning," as it impels one to think that there is an underlying force that controls the universe. With such images as spirals, as in spiral galaxies, and the double twisting of a dna strand reflected in the image of a clock's springs, and the circular figures that are found throughout nature, Nance presents a universe that operates with mind boggling precision.

The following is a sneak peak at Nance's captivating talent:

Twisting and turning,

the spiral tracks there,

in the sky, in the

flying of clouds

writing the natural

secret ... and in the

gentle shell,

twisting ever this way

and that, slowly turning

in the spiral marked

force mystery that writes

the foundation of

the universe,

every upward goes the

gyre, twisting and

turning the

advent of life and perhaps

too, but hidden still, in

death, the reverse spiral

to twist toward life

and reverse again.

Cycles and measures

of circles infinite,

circles of whatever

devices are God's seeing,

scattered everywhere

as reminders or maybe just

universal watch springs,

main springs,

forcing the movement,

the circle, they cycle,

waxing and waning

by the micro second to

the infinite time measures ...

around and around, smoke

in nature, twisting

and turning in

blind acknowledgment of the

ultimate

mystery beyond gravity,

the ultimate force

that sends the earth

around ...

the moon