Settled for the Night is Ralph Stevens's fifth poetry collection. Informal in tone yet serious (and sometimes humorous) these poems attend to the experiences of childhood and aging in both the natural and human worlds. As in previous collections, Stevens draws on imagery from both worlds, taking the reader into the company of deer and crows, to woodland paths and pools, even asking that readers consider the odor of a skunk. Here, however, there is greater attention to "man's inhumanity to man" with references to human-inflicted suffering. At the same time, childhood wonder is observed--from the bow of a boat, in the green of an arboretum. Overall, the collection celebrates life in all its forms, as well as inviting consideration of what it is to face old age and death. The reader will come away from this collection reassured of the beauty and value of human life.
