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Before Drawing 1 Renoir on His Life 3 Blue Elderberry 6 Edible Thistle 7 Lacy Tansyaster 8 Four-Wing Saltbush 9 Lemon Scurfpea 10 Mountain Balm 11 Long-Leaved Mugwort 12 Maiden Blue-Eye Mary 14 Dwarf Mountain Fleabane 15 White Milkwort 16 Mountain Lady's Slippers 18 Pacific Dogwood 19 Before Words 20 Raven Was Traveling 24 Coyote and Bear 25 Coyote Dances with the Stars 27 Before Letters 28 Jackie Kennedy: Wedding Day 30 Jackie Kennedy: My Wedding Is a Real Circus 32 Jackie Kennedy: Noticed, Entering the Church 33 Jackie Kennedy: My Wedding Gown 34 Jackie Kennedy: After the Wedding 36 Jackie Kennedy Realizes 37 Lee Harvey Oswald As Springtime 38 Before Music 40 Western Willet 45 The Mountain Quail 46 Loggerhead Shriek 47 Yellow-Bellied Marmot 50 Pacific Treefrog 51 Western Fence Lizard 53 Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrel 55 Before Drama and Dance 56 The Ballerina and Hans Christian Anderson 58 Before Numbers 61 3 Cinquains Visit in the Afternoon 65 Self Portrait: The Man Who Bounces Eggs 66 How to Impale a Watermelon with a Playing Card 71

Martin Willitts Jr.'s poems challenge the reader to examine the what-if of treading in others' shoes, be they those of God or those of a war-time medic; they are written in a way where words are "falling scales from a shedding dragon." In questioning and lamenting the seemingly endless tides of war and the state of being of the human, Willitts is "that distant woodpecker . . . sending messages of rescue for those still caged." This book will leave the reader to consider what must be, and ultimately hoping that God will not "give [people] what they expect." -Claudia M. Stanek, Author of Language You Refuse to Learn Martin Willitts' poems always strike me as love songs in working man's clothes, written by a man aware of the heartache and injustice of the world, yet also attuned to the stubborn courage and surprising tenderness that so often shine in the darkest circumstances. The MOON has been honored to publish several of the selections in this volume-including the title poem "God is Not Amused." I look forward to reading the others in this collection by one of The MOON's favorite contributors. -Leslee Goodman, Editor of Moon Magazine In Martin Willitts Jr's latest poetry collection, God Is Not Amused with What You Are Doing in Her Name, we see both depth and whimsy, as he approaches spiritual topics with grace and sensitivity. Through skillful use of beautiful, evocative language, Willitts takes the reader on a meditative journey. He has great reverence for life. In the poem, "Epistle on Healing," he writes, "We need a healing you cannot find in a hospital. / We need a cleansing of anger and fear." With tenderness, he offers up questions for each, soulful reader to ponder. To be savored and read many times, this collection offers the reader philosophical insights on faith, as well as how we might better navigate the world we live in through peace. -Cristina M. R. Norcross, managing editor of Blue Heron Review, Author of Land & Sea: Poetry Inspired by Art

Martin Willitts, Jr., cannot see a great painting without recognizing that there is more to its story. His poems here extend and broaden those visual appeals with poetic depths of imagination. If Monet, Seurat, or Wyeth read these poems, they would be gratified that their art touched the soul of this artist. Willitts is a poet of inspiration. —Gary Metras, author of Francis d'Assisi 2008 (Finishing Line Press)

A selection by the author of poems from his previously published collections: Searching for What Is Not There, How to Be Silent, Dylan Thomas and the Writing Shed, Three Ages of Women, The Uncertain Lover, Coming Home Celebration, The Temporary World, Unfolding of Love, Harvest Time, and All Wars Are the Same War.

The Heart Knows, Simply, What It Needs by Martin Willitts, Jr. is an incredible read into the heart and mind of poet Emily Dickinson. Martin manages to capture the essence of Emily and evoke the ghost of her through keen perception and insight. The reader almost feels as if they were reading her most private thoughts. If you were ever intrigued by Ms. Dickinson's poetry as well as her personal story, you won't want to pass on this chapbook. Sandy Benitez, Editor of Flutter Poetry Journal & Flutter Press

Unfolding Toward Love is a collection of spiritual poetry about the presence of God as well as God’s hidden presence and God’s voice speaking within us if we are willing to listen. Part meditation, lamentation, and acceptance, these poems search for God and find him in every object offering a welcoming. Sometimes, we do not listen; sometimes, we hear and do not obey or we question what we hear. However, if we listen, the hiddenness of God is seen, felt, and overwhelming. Sometimes, we do not know God has moved within us because it is so subtle, and then, all of a sudden, we realize what has transpired and we are amazed that we never noticed it before. These poems are in the tradition of the ecstatic poets with their questions: What is faith, and what is faithfulness? What is God telling us? Does the message unfold like rose petals, or does it spiral outwards like Fibonacci’s logarithmic spiral inside a conch shell? We question, is this God’s message, or is it from ego or some other place? We try to discern what God is telling us. We do not want to misunderstand.

Unexpected is a volume of 70 musically lyrical poems that vividly express great love: the love of nature and the love of the poet for the language that sustains him. Like a gardener sinks his fingers into the soil, Willitts Jr sinks his language into the poem, and for the same reason: to create life-giving sustenance and beauty.

Socially conscious poems by award winning Quaker author Martin Willitts, Jr., published in 2014 by Crisis Chronicles.

With the attention of a field botanist, Ethereal Flowers explores healing plants, plants in mythology, plants that inspired van Gogh paintings, plants that are poisonous, and plants discovered by Lewis and Clark. By honoring plants and trees, we honor the source of life, and we acknowledge that we are mutually connected, that the survival of one impacts the other. Poet Martin Willitts Jr. gets on his hands and knees to notice the detail of petals, pistils, leaf formation, lateral and bilateral stems, the smell of earth, the bees shuttling in the garden, unearthing a deeper meaning to plants, while planting them firmly in imagination.

Divided into the four seasons, Searching for What Is Not There is a collection of nature poems with a concern with the complex, connected, and fragile relationship of everything in the universe, from the smallest to the immense, infused with spiritualism and silence, as we begin growing older, accepting death and embracing life.