Water is faithful our inner being is clean with the dew of dawn God is a loving unit—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who spurred the creation of the universe. In a debut collection of inspirational haiku, Cindy Wilkening leans on her Christian faith to lyrically explore the time before time, the beginning, observations of human nature and the natural world, evil, and the God-Man, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Each poem captures a complex idea that encourages the reader to explore the God who came to Earth to meet us where we are and pursue us with a love that will not quit. Through her poems, Wilkening prays others will find that hope is not lost and that a relationship with the divine is not only possible but compelling. Water is Faithful is a collection of haiku that will inspire readers to explore a relationship with God in a new and introspective way. I can imagine a commuter on a bus or train appreciating "Fast pace, the rat race/but character takes some time/not all comes quickly". And anyone in love, or hoping to love, will smile after reading "Love is an action/whirring like a fan gently/so the flame is bright".... Whether or not He is mentioned, the loving hand of God can be felt on every word: "Water is faithful/our inner being is clean/with the dew of dawn". -- James Keane, author, Small Wonders (available on Amazon) I'm going to call you [Cynthia Wilkening] "The Quiet Storm," because you have been dropping some major nuggets on us, but you've been doing it so elegantly and so swiftly and so quietly.... That is amazing! — Bishop Dr. Samuel McGill III, host of The Morning Show on All Nations Radio Wilkening uses haiku to celebrate nature and her Christian faith in this collection. Japanese haiku were traditionally used as short preambles to longer poems, grounding the work in a season and specific natural perspective; for the author, there's nothing more natural than God and Jesus Christ. Thus, her collection of over 100 haiku (she started writing them during her work commute) centers a creationist view of the Earth's natural splendor and development in which the appreciation of nature reflects a dedication to Christ and his teachings. Wilkening covers familiar pillars of Christian belief, interpreting the Big Bang as God's intervention and DNA as "life's / grand blueprint and God is the / ultimate craftsman." The book includes many secular musings as well, on topics such as not taking family for granted and the value of laughter and open-mindedness; a middle section contains numerous pieces with traditional haiku themes like birds, plants, and seasons that do not invoke Christianity. (How the faith-based pieces land with readers will depend on their personal beliefs.) A number of haiku exalt in God's wisdom and Jesus' sacrifice. Wilkening writes in a foreword that she hopes this collection will encourage people to explore Christianity, and many of the poems use the threat of suffering as a persuasive tactic. The author's observations about Pompeii, condemnations of modern technology and lifestyles, and strict binary definitions of sin and salvation often feel more didactic than like exercises in poetic language and imagery. The book has an implication that our societal drift away from Christianity has had a causal effect on our growing mistreatment of the Earth and each other, which is an intriguing theme that may have been better served by a poetic form with fewer constraints.An earnest application of the haiku form for a Christian audience. -- Kirkus Indie, Posted Aug. 4, 2024