Waymarks tracks one man through significant encounters with the natural world, around the globe.

An Ethiopian lake, an Australian rainforest, an American desert, an English beach: the stage keeps changing, but the intent stays the same. A poet enters a deep dialogue with birds, animals, people, plants, seas, and all the forces that threaten and churn this mix of life.

James Thornton is a zen priest, and Waymarks sits alongside other classics of metaphysical writing in which poets bare their soul. Teachings from great figures along the way permeate the collection: a West Coast poet, a Japanese Zen Master, a spiritual leader, and the Dalai Lama.

Waymarks is a beautiful collection of poems which act as a bridge between human spirit and the spirit of nature. These poems are elegant, simple and profound. When I read these poems I feel uplifted and inspired. They touch my heart and move my spirit. James Thornton is a poet of deep wisdom and love!' - Satish Kumar, Editor Emeritus, Resurgence & Ecologist and Founder of Schumacher College

''These poems are wonderful! They sing with passion and integrity, and make clear why James Thornton is such a vital ambassador and guardian of the planet.' - Baroness Rosie Boycott

The New Statesman named James Thornton as one of 10 people who could change the world, and he won the Financial Times Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2021, he was a judge of the Laurel Prize, for the world’s best collection of ecopoetry. Irish-American, James is also the author of Client Earth (Scribe, 2018) which won a Business Book of the Year Award. James is founder and president of ClientEarth, the leading global not-for-profit law group. This is his third collection. ‘James Thornton speaks as both a poet who has colonised science and a scientist who speaks a poetic tongue.’ – E.O.Wilson ‘Weaves quiet perception and poignant reflection on humans, animals, and landscape into a shimmering pattern of light.’ - Olafur Eliasson