Dick Davis

"In his new collection of poems, Dick Davis, the acclaimed author of Belonging, addresses themes that he has long worked with?travel, the experience of being a stranger, the clash of cultures, the vagaries of love, the pleasures and epiphanies of meaning that art allows us. But A Trick of Sunlight introduces a new theme that revolves around the idea of happiness?is it possible, must it be illusory, is its fleetingness an essential part of its nature so that disillusion is inevitable?" -- publisher website (September 2006).

119 p. ; 22 cm

Crossing Mexico by bus sounded like an adventure, so Dick Davis decided to put Mexico's bus system to the test, descending into the Copper Canyon, crossing deserts, following the Silver Trail, and visiting indigenous villages.

What does it mean to call a place home? Who is allowed to become a member of a community? How do we create community? When can we say that we truly belong? The issues of place and belonging are the subject of this book. Moving from past to present, the author charts a journey in which she moves from place to place, from country to city and back again, only to end where she began in her native place, Kentucky. She explores a geography of the heart, focusing on issues of homeplace, of land, and land stewardship, linking the issues to global environmentalism and sustainability. She writes about family and the ties that bind. And she focuses on the experience of black farmers, past and present who celebrate local organic food production. This work offers a vision of a world where all people, wherever they call home, can live fully and well, and where everyone can belong.

A series of romantic poems seemingly based on the author's life experience and appreciation of what he comes into contact, whether it is nature and/or people. The author takes a great amount of time appreciating his journey, and along the way thanking all those who helped make it a success. But one particular name stands out; Sandra (pieces like LaSandrinaise, Sandraddction, Lasandra...) tell the story of this unknown "beauty." In most of the poems, his sight seems set on this one inidividual that he highly regards. One might assume that's his wife, or his girlfriend, but whoever she is, she appears to have captivated his imagination.