Portrait Through Poetry: Poetry and Letters - Softcover

The poems reflect Miles' love of nature, his family, and life in general. Being given his letters, kept by his sister for more than 60 years, was an incredible gift. One of my favorite poems is What Does the Future Hold. It seems especially appropriate with the volcano activity in Hawaii. What Does the Future Hold?The snow will melt and we will see
that the rivers will always flow to the sea.
The tide will always ebb and flow
the sun will rise and set aglow.
The rain will come and the wind will blow,
thunder and lightening will hit below.
The earth will tremble and start to shake,
our homes will sway and begin to break.
 And when the mountains decide to explode,
 we will have a sea of lava, without a road.

Miles D. Orr (1915-94) grew up in Mount Vernon, Missouri with eight brothers and sisters. A World War II veteran, he served in the Army Air Corps in North Africa and Europe. He met his wife of 48 years, Rita Rooney Orr, in Washington, D.C., where she roomed with his sister in the early 1940s. He and Rita had five children and he was able to meet and enjoy five of his seven grandchildren. Miles enjoyed writing, playing bridge, and singing. This was his first published book of poetry. He wrote for more than 40 years, largely novels. He was more interested in writing than editing, so none was ever published. They remain as his legacy for his family and friends. Miles' war service did have another legacy. He acquired pulmonary fibrosis from using carbon tetra chloride (carbon tet, as he called it) to clean airplane engines in the desert. Though he was fortunate to come home and raise a family, his World War II service did eventually kill him.