Plunge by Taunja Thomson is a sensory deep dive into the natural world. This lush full-length collection celebrates human immersion into creation's color palate while offering the reader a taste of life's "gasp/& gravity/its slow spin/mouthful of light." Many of the poems are ekphrastic in that they are inspired by works of visual art. Yet, each poem is skillfully positioned in the arc to usher the reader through the rush of passing seasons- "between the tumbling/umber of dreams/and the roar/of age." What emerges is a breathtaking meld of sense and sentience, underscored with natures's patterned music. Cicadas rise with "red eyes & membrane-thin wings clambering up through ground/rattling their golden tymbals--/summer kettledrums." The poet invites "raven and wind/and creeping moonflower/to come and settle" inside her as she bids us "watch this life leap over/the gate to moon/disappear into its brilliance." Thomson's gift for imagery knows no bounds.-Roberta Schultz, author of Underscore, Dos Madres Press and Asking Price, Workhorse Writers.Like Diane Seuss or Ada Limon, Taunja Thomson has a rich and distinct poetic voice. It is memorable, pleasurable and impossible to replicate. She is a master magician of language and images. In her poem, "Litha," she writes the following stanza: With bark for skin/ sap for blood/ rock for bone/ she traipses across moss/ bee balm goldenrod thistle/ and listens for autumn's/windy moan. Ms. Thomson is often inspired to write from particular artworks. She names the artists and the art pieces who inspire her. It is fascinating to view the artwork from Google while you hold the poem in your hand. Ms. Thomson has said that she is a worshiper of nature. You will be, too, after reading this book. She holds a reverence for the natural world including insects and animals. She teaches us to see our world in a dazzling new way. Plunge is a stunning first full-length collection by Taunja Thomson. She is a poet to watch and follow.-Jerry Judge, author of Luna Moth and The Cold Moon