In "Windshield Refrains: Paths and Journeys," Dr. Fred Smiley has fashioned a book of poems that relate to the metaphor of "life as a journey." He recounts in his poems the trip he took from one teaching position in Kentucky to another one in Montana. The first entry is an homage to a senior citizen he met leaving on the journey, and the last entry is a treatise on possible future days and events. In between, the readers will encounter a wide variety of people he met, areas and places he witnessed, weather patterns, and events he encountered, from white crosses beside the road, an estate sale, to a curious train he may or may not have seen. Though the free verse poems were written in chronological order, they deal with much more than just the physical journey he encountered. The poems' titles, pictures, and texts interact with each other on several levels. The titles offer many and various moods and contexts to draw in the readers, the pictures reflect portions of the titles or the verses following, and the poems themselves complete the entries. Some of the poems are witty or humorous, some are thoughtful and pensive, and all of them are commentaries on the grand and wonderful adventure we have in life. This thoughtful and engaging text offers readers an opportunity not only to read the various experiences of the poet, but also to compare and contrast their own journeys.
