Book Review: Glimpses

Written by William T. King and Reviewed by Jenn Sauer

If, like me, you’ve ever found yourself missing the warmth, wisdom, and wordplay of Covenant’s late Pastor Emeritus Bill King, reading his 2012 collection of poems Glimpses will feel like a delightful reunion of sorts. Divided into three sections based on where he composed them (the Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland; Madison, WI; and the family cabin on Cut Foot Sioux Lake in the Chippewa National Forest), these wide-ranging poems take as their inspiration the seemingly pedestrian (“Jello Salad”; “Hangnail”) as well as the weighty and philosophical (“Mourning”; “Reality”). What they share is King’s commitment to finding evidence—glimpses, as he calls them—of the Kingdom of God in the very mixed bag of human experience.

To read these poetic glimpses into Bill’s rich inner life—his searching, ponderings, questions, appreciations, and doubts—is to feel like a cherished guest who has been granted the gift of a wise friend’s honest vulnerability and loving attention.

Check out Glimpses, and many other books, from the Covenant Library!