When We Were Very Old - Paperback

"Swadley's poetry often moves me into a transcendent state of being or a deep belly laugh of joy. Can't stop reading her." Sharon Brady: artist

"Erica's poems reveal messages from her soul to you, that are revealed through her observations of the world that surrounds her, often with humor.These observations are rich descriptions that come from her years as a visual artist. Her poems are paintings. She reveals her emotional life subtly, often mirroring your own. Her poems resonate deeply, one poem leads you to read another and another." Pat Dolan: artist, author of Stalking the Sacred and The Angels Made Me Do It.

"Playful, lyrical, and shimmering, Erica Swadley's poems draw you in, and suddenly you realize she's immersed you in "pure colored light." Ellen Steiber: author of Rumor of Gems.

What would happen if A.A. Milne and Rumi were to meet in a celestial cafe to discuss a book about aging? Rilke sits at the next table and pulls up a chair. Mary Oliver has been invited but she's out beach combing in Wellfleet. They suggest Billy Collins but he's busy so Erica Swadley takes on the job. She has just the right mix of playfulness and ecstasy. Her poems address the adventure of aging with humor, compassion and tenderness. As the author spends couch potato time recovering from various joint implants, she explores topics some people would rather not look at such as loneliness and invisibility. She also makes clear that the elderly remain passionate, sensuous and engaged with life. Erica Swadley as a poet, painter and shamanic practitioner writes poetry that helps fill the empty spaces inside you. She is what in some cultures is known as a word-doctor, receiving information from the dream world and ineffable sources acting as a vessel to let messages pour through.

As Swadley says, "As long as there's life, there's poetry."