Peter Marin writes about Bill Wallis's verses: "There is a radical transformation here, a sort of soaring in which you can see the words take flight. The poems are filled with light, and I would swear you can perceive object and feelings taking form within it, as if solidifying themselves inside Bill himself, somewhere in the heart of the soul. It's wonderful to see." This hand-sized volume contains the poet's best verse, including the experimental "Redlining San Vicente," the mature "Reading," and several sequences of poems which constitute Wallis's most ambitious work. (Nominated for Pulitzer Prize, Poetry Division, 2000.) "The shadow of your absence cools my chest, / Far from your sleep, I fall back to dream; / My arms trace your form, as dimensions slide / To align our drifting beds in separate places."