A selection of poems taken from Rita Joe's earlier books, along with a batch of new poems from magazines, journals, and papers in the Beaton Institute archives, including her telling of the lovely Legend of Matlan. With her lifelong goal to open the eyes of her aboriginal community and the wider world to Mi'kmaq history and culture, Rita wrote of loneliness and pain and the accomplishment of abiding love. Rita Joe was a committed social activist, rooted in First Nation and Christian spirituality. Her role as a daring "gentle warrior" shines through her poetry.