James Ragan’s first book of poems—originally published in 1979—unleashes its raw energy and emotional power like a collection of classic paintings brought forth in a new retrospective. Hailed by Josephine Miles as “an authoritative voice who will be recognized as an important voice,” this distinguished collection is imbued with the social turbulence of the times and emotions of a young poet coming to terms with his family, mortality and the absurdities of modernity.