The Panic Bird

The unifying theme in Myra Schneider's collection is finding the self, uncovering and accepting the past, experiencing the present fully. The poems are presented as stories, inner myths, memories and thoughts set off by a photograph, a fantasy in the bath, an address to a dragonfly, the recreation of a walk in Madeira, or an extraordinary evening in Trinidad. The long narrative poem at the center of the book, ""The Waving Woman,"" traces the effects of dramatic events and difficult situations on the main characters.