"For everything there is a season" and I felt this to be so true as I worked on the Summer Edition of Mused. I found myself in step with the season; this season of warmth, bright sunshine, brief rain showers, and powerful thunderstorms. It struck me how much we are connected to each season and the elements it brings; therefore drawing us ever closer in the circle of life.

This connection of life is a reflection of the many artists who contributed to this issue of Mused. I marvel as I look upon photography such as "Dragonfly Love" by Ellen Erlanger, so delicate and fragile. But I look again and there is the towering magnificence of "Mystic Arm, Antelope Canyon" by Albert Rollins, as it stands strong and ageless. As "Mama Mockingbird," also by Ellen Erlanger, seeks to care for her young, I am again reminded of the circle of life.

Many of our poetry entries dealt with life and aging, such as "Still Life" by Marchell Dyon Jefferson, showing us the little girl in pigtails and how she becomes a shadow of herself. But there are lively poems too, such as "That Summer She Lived in a Shoe" by Kathleen Serocki, reminding us to be playful and fun.

The story "A Perfect Day" by Vanessa Horn stirred me deeply as it demonstrated the power of love: when we are weak, when we are strong, and when we need to lean on each other. The story "Going Home" by Ronnie Sue Ellis brings us once again full circle as it shows the beginning of a life together and asks us "can we ever really go home again?" This story shows us that in some ways we can go back and in other ways we never left.

As you read the Summer Edition of Mused I hope you will be amazed, as I was, by the imaginative, creative, and inspirational gifts that are offered by the contributors.

Terri Johansen
Poetry Review Team Member
Artwork Review Team Member