Although there were some stand-out poems in this volume, there was a little magic missing in Cast Away: Poems for Our Time. Reading these poems, I almost felt Naomi Shihab Nye had picked a relevant eco-topic (trash/littering) and written with her head rather than her poetic soul/heart. With the poignant exceptions I've listed below - which were as moving and thought-provoking as previous works by this poet - I couldn't connect to the poems. A pleasant read overall, but not her best.

“Pine Cones”
“Separated”
“Read All about It!”
“Folded Cardboard in the Street”
“Three Wet Report Cards on Camden Street”
“Tony’s Trash”
“Ilse’s Trash”
“Attention”
“Lately the Moon” ( )