Gregory T. Bedell

Onward: Contemporary Poetry and Poetics is an anthology of statements on poetics by twenty contemporary North American poets, along with selections from their poetry. The poets collected here represent the forefront of engaged, experimental poetic practice and their statements vary from the extended essay form to collage assemblages of various prose and poetically charged forms. These explorations of poetics lead to intersections of thought and practice, both among themselves, and with other recently published poetry anthologies.

"A Basket of Flowers," which is set in 18th century Germany, is the tale of a godly young woman and her father who wrongly suffer great persecution, but who learn to trust the sovereign hand of God through every difficult circumstance. The story centers on James, a godly gardener, and his young daughter, Mary. Their happy and simple life is disrupted when Mary is accused and convicted of theft. At her trial, Mary tells the truth, maintaining her innocence in spite of great pressure. Convicted as thief and accomplice, Mary and her father begin their sentence for the crime. Continuing his lessons from nature about the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, James encourages Mary through this trial and prepares her for the next, greater blow.