Readers of Stephen B. Wiley's first volume of poetry Hero?s Island will feel like they are feasting on meatloaf and potato salad at a family reunion while reading Mockingbird Come Home.

Wiley, an attorney for more than 50 years, State Senator, educational and legislative reform leader, and fund-raiser extraordinaire, expanded his reputation as Mr. Renaissance Man when his second book of published poetry was released in May 2007.

Mockingbird Come Home (ISBN 0-9766251-1-3, 101 pages, $14.95, Oasis Publishers, www.mockingbirdcomehome.com), which brings forth a reverence of nature and nature?s ways, is a collection of reflections of his life and the insight garnered from an active life as an advocate, community-builder, reformer, and writer.

?I came to poetry prompted by an interest in people and natural things, through a career in law with its emphasis on precise language and its broad focus on our lives,? says Wiley. ?That led me to an exploration of poetry though a college course a few years ago with the happy circumstance of an inspiring teacher. From there I began to produce my poems, which now number many score, inspired by a generous acceptance of them by large numbers of readers.?

In Wiley?s world the song of a mockingbird is appreciated as much as a Puccini aria, a cherry tree in full bloom as beautiful as a Botticelli, and the death of a moth mimes the nobility of a soldier who gives his life for his comrades.

It is a world where people still pursue the humble, simple chores and duties of old, sharing the "red round sweet and ripe" tomatoes grown by one's own hand or milking 22 cows before sun-up.

Mockingbird Come Home is divided into two sections. The first, "Where We Live," paints miniature portraits of three regions of the country where the poet has spent most of his long, rich and varied life: New Jersey, Vermont and Florida.

In the second section, "Who We Are," Wiley tells of people he has known and loved - and of those who have passed on. The eight poems in the final pages speak of life's final departure. None does so more touchingly than "Going," evoking his father's final minutes.

?I seem to find metaphysical significance in nature and in things relevant to people,? explains Wiley. ?Some of my poetry also deals with my experiences and simple things. They are not long, elaborate poems but short, hopefully pithy poems that often strike a hopeful note.?

To purchase Mockingbird Come Home or for more information about Stephen B. Wiley go to www.mockingbirdcomehome.com.