A collection of poems from the plains, written between 1936-1941. "The poems of Harold L. Gray, which range from humorous to serious, reveal a young man grappling with the great questions of purpose and being that trouble all serious thinkers. They also show, through echoes of numerous 19th and early 20th century poets, particularly Carl Sandburg and e. e. cummings, that Harold was a careful student of poetry." -- Stephen E. Meats, Professor, Pittsburg State University & Chair of English Poetry Editor, The Midwest Quarterly "The rich variety of poems in this collection conveys the sensitive and often lyrical response of a young Midwesterner to the world around him at a time that now seems quite distant to most of us, the late 1930s and early 1940s. The poems display an exuberant interest in the possibilities of poetic form (I admire the use of repetition in "Die Slowly in Kansas," for instance), wit (for example, "On the Strand" and "To a Lunchkit") and a serious religious temperament ("One Cross and Two others," for example). Harold Gray's son has lovingly prepared these poems for publication, and his highly personal introduction provides a moving portrait of a man who was many things--devoted father and husband, bookkeeper and accountant, Boy Scout Leader, outdoorsman, Navy nurse during World War II, devout Christian, and poet. One finishes a reading of the poems with great appreciation, but also with regret that Harold Gray did not continue adding to them after 1941. This collection is 'worth looking into.'" -- Raymond F. Hilliard, Professor of English, University of Richmond