MANY WINTERS

Those who responded to Nancy Wood's Fine collection Hollering Sun will be ready for the more muted wisdom of these prose poem sayings gathered from among the Taos village elders. Most have deep roots in metaphors of nature and the unending cycle of life -- ""The tree in winter is like/ The lines upon my father's face/ Or like the paths I tried to take/ when I was young. . ."", and though a few of the old people take note of vanishing traditions -- ""I think that television has ruined our imaginations. I used to look at clouds and see eagles and lions. Now I look at them and see automobiles."" -- the general mood is one of transcendence rather than anger -- ""I have found more to life/ In the travels of an ant/ Than in the progress of the world/ Which has fallen far behind/ The place it started from."" That this seems a rather difficult book to intorudce to children only illustrates how far we have come from the habit of listening to what the oldest generation has to say, but despite the similarity of mood, these statements give graceful expression to many aspects of the Taos way. And Frank Howell's luminous portraits will increase the appeal for a receptive audience.