Jogging with the Great Ray Charles

Kenneth Sherman's work has always displayed a vibrant lyricism, so it s no surprise that his powerful new collection contains a number of poems with musical motifs. In such pieces as 'Clarinet,' 'Transistor Sister,' and the book s titular poem, Sherman ponders our human transience while searching for 'a voice to stand time's test.' Sherman also confronts health concerns in a language that is Shaker-plain. The book concludes with the sombre, compassionate, and truly remarkable seven-part 'Kingdom,' a meditation on the plight of the dispossessed.