In poems of graceful lyricism and penetrating observation, award-winning poet Linda Pastan sheds new light on the complexities of ordinary life and the rising tide of mortality. Drawing from Pastan’s five most recent volumes—including The Last Uncle (2002), Traveling Light (2011), and Insomnia (2015)—and with over thirty new poems, Almost an Elegy reflects on beauty, old age, and the probability of loss. Whether in a lush evocation of an impressionist painting or a wry and wistful ode to a car key, Pastan finds lucid meaning in the passage of time.From “Mirage”:I want to simply be one with the trees sighingoutside my window, sighing not for mebut to accommodate the wind.