Lumberton is a real town in an area historically denuded by clear-cut logging where the abused spirit of the land pervaded both place and people. The poems in this book explore various kinds of abuse and spiritual impoverishment as well as growth of awareness and healing. The journey from desolation toward wholeness proceeds in ordinary ways: waiting quietly like a bare field under a wide sky, noticing the budding lilac, or simply taking the next first step. We can leave our Lumbertons.