Sometimes, only a poem will do, and these poetic prescriptions and wise words of advice are tailored to those moments in life when we need them most, from general glumness to news overload, and from infatuation to losing the spark. There are poems here for every taste and situation, penned by such authors as Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver, E.E. Cummings, Denise Levertov, J.R.R. Tolkien, Raymond Carver, Lucille Clifton, Maya Angelou, Pablo Neruda, John Keats, Billy Collins, Elizabeth Bishop, and Walt Whitman.

"Healing for the heart and soul. I keep my copy with the brandy and aspirin."—Jeanette Winterson