Like one of her beloved muses, the Surrealist painter René Magritte, Rayne O'Brian understands that behind every object there exists another entity. She is kin to the ancient Hasidic rebbes, consorting with the spirit that all matter embodies and calling it forth for our edification and delight. Magritte believed that in a beleaguered world it is much easier to terrorize than to charm. And so, in these gentle, inventive and surprising poems, the poet chooses, as the great painter once said, 'to celebrate joy for the eyes and the mind.' It is no accident then that in Rayne O'Brian's realm a simple kitchen table can speak as movingly as any human. 'Whatever you bring me I love, ' it says, inviting us to sit down and stay awhile.

Rayne O'Brian lives north of the Golden Gate Bridge in a yellow Victorian with her two long-haired dictionaries.

Living on a Song a Day is her debut collection of poems.