"Poetry is the language of the heart; to be written or even to be understood, the heart must be made raw, it must bleed; the psalmist writes circumcised. It is no secret that growth and change- conversion can come only from pain not only felt but assimilated. In a culture averse even to the slightest discomfort, assimilating pain sounds like too tall an order and so it may be. But to the man or the woman searching for something unnamed, something huge, something so far greater than they, that kneeling in adoration be the only response, I dedicate this book." In her dedication to her book of poems, Dr. Lin Wilder eloquently prepares her reader for the experience of reading the fifty poems enclosed in A Search for the Sacred. Wilder divides the poems into three sections; the reasons for the categories become clear early into the reading of the poems. There is a journey here. One that begins amidst deep personal loss and grief- some surprisingly intimate portrayals of a woman suddenly alone. Some of her poems are raw; uncomfortably so. Here's an example of one of her poems- a personal favorite: BELONGING Is there a place called home Where memories and tradition await Patiently hidden in places made deep By relentless pursuit of useless truths. Do we come trailing clouds of glory Only to don the actors pose And spend too many years and tears Reclaiming wisdom lost so long ago Saved finally by the knowledge That human truth is shadow and illusion Yet uplifted by one hope and prayer That pur path toward peace and Understanding lies patiently waiting For our gaze to turn back to the Place where we began.