Although most of the verses of "The Confused Muse" are written in the first person, they represent the thoughts, feelings, and attitudes of a wide spectrum of personalities. Some are living independently, either in a retirement facility or in their own homes. They continue to enjoy activities, although probably not as many as they once did. They are using a variety of coping skills to attempt to compensate for the confusion which they find creeping into many aspects of their lives. At the other end of the spectrum are the very confused, who may, nonetheless, have their moments of clarity....

Jane Durham, born in 1921, started writing poems about old age in 2001, when she moved to PineCrest Retirement Community in Lufkin, Texas. In earlier careers, she was a teacher, counselor, wife and mother. She has eight children, seventeen grandchildren and seventeen great-grandchildren.

This is her second book of poetry. "The Confused Muse" (2006) was described as a mostly light-hearted look at the changes that aging brings. "Old-Age Express" (2007) continues that theme and elaborates on it with a mix of fact, fantasy, and fiction. In the "Short Takes" section are 250 reader-friendly...