BUSHIDO THE VIRTUES OF REI AND MAKOTO
By Arthur J. Stewart
Celtic Cat Publishing
P.O. Box 23694
Knoxville, TN 37933-1694
www.celticcatpublishing.com
Trade Paperback, 79 pages, $15.00
Genre: Poetry/Essay

Arthur Stewart is a man of many coats: ecologist, senior scientist, essayist and poet. His first poetry anthology, Rough Ascension and Other Poems of Science, was published in 2003. He follows with Bushido, a collection of poems and essays concentrating on honoring life in today's world. Bushido is a Japanese term referring to the samurai's way of life, and in this anthology, Stewart focuses on two of the seven virtues of Bushido: Rei, which means respect, and Makoto, which means truth and sincerity.

Stewart covers a melange of subjects, from global warming to water pollution, ecology to botany, his father's stumble and subsequent injury to a Ghanaian man who struggles to feed his family but refuses to catch fish because their soul may belong to an ancestor. And every once in awhile delights the reader with an unexpected bit of witticism. Interwoven through it all is the author's obvious awe, respect and love for all life and the planet we inhabit, which makes one take pause and consider and nod their head in agreement. Beautifully done.