Through interactions with and the examination of the natural world, poems in "Mountain Offerings" move from a youthful voice to a more experienced one, showing a coming-of-age in partnership, parenthood, loss, and the development of independence and self-awareness. The simplicity, beauty, and peace of the outdoors provides an ideal vehicle through which this poet explores complex human emotions. In "January in Vermont," Allen writes: The stars always shine brightest /on the coldest of days, /a reward just for making it. There is a parallel reverence the speaker has for both the natural world around her and the interpersonal, interior world of humans who make up her daily life. "Mountain Offerings" is accessible, honest, poignant, and--rooted in nature and the natural world--earthly.