Scripture of the Landscape

About the Book

Nantucket has been called “the faraway island,” due to its distance from land and its dissimilarity to any other place on Earth. Poet Tom Vorderer has traveled many times to its beautiful shores and over time developed a loving familiarity with an island both majestic and calm. He records his observations via the written word in Scripture of the Landscape.

This book is primarily a collection of poems about Nantucket—small time capsules that allow the reader to mentally journey back and experience the richness the island offers over and over. Each poem describes the specific landscape of the place, isolated yet somehow universal in its beauty:

Clouds see reflection

before fisherman set out

the Eagle departs

Vorderer’s words capture the welcoming feel of this seaside utopia, bringing the reader closer to the heart and soul of Nantucket. In our busy, everyday lives, people sometimes take little time to contemplate the world around them and enjoy the beauty of just being. If even one poem in this collection strikes a chord, consider the experience a success.

About the Author

In his many trips to Nantucket through the years, Tom Vorderer has grown to love the island and the tranquility it represents. He has translated that love into these verses. Besides writing poetry, he is pursuing the art of screen printing, using many of the images he has taken over the years on Nantucket in this book. He has two grown children and resides in Boston, Massachusetts. He works at Children’s Hospital in the Division of Sports Medicine.