The Hidden Wilderness

"The Hidden Wilderness" is Linda Ann Suddarth's exploration of "other places" as she calls them. Listen to their litany: sacred space, behind a story, where happiness reigns, some wild space, forever, snowy places, enchanted spots. These are places of the imaginal, where reason and rationality struggle to enter." Dennis Patrick SlatteryThese poems are a collection of what is hidden in the natural world and also within. The relationship between nature and the inner self can be reciprocal, if one learns to listen. The poems also include the thorny yet beautiful relationship between humans. The natural world exudes healing, beauty, and honesty giving a place of rest. These poems were conceived in a sacred natural space in the Appalachian region of Virginia, near Charlottesville, where there is the familiar landscape of childhood, and ancient familial spirits of earthy hard-working ancestors. This region is full of enchantment of the old-fashioned variety which is also found in Ireland's sacred spaces, as is alluded to in the poem "Born to Earth: Newgrange." The woods, and tops of mountains, still speak in lovely ways. Much can be learned about how to be human when stepping into the invisible delineations of sacred space.