In The Chances of Harm, Adrian Rice is a superb celebrant of the everyday, telling how though by times he may "feel that all of our days have really been the selfsame day", he rejoices in endless wonders around him, birds flitting, dusky trees, a murmuration of leaves, the timeless surprise of snow. Compassion for others and his alertness to the poignancy of life’s brevity are rooted in the poet’s love for his wife and family and in friendships when sometimes unaware of "last leavings having already happened". --Micheal O’Siadhail, author of The Five Quintets