Robert Frost once wrote, "A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness." Nadine Gay's poems are at once intimate and universal, captivating in their insights, and reassuring in their openness and acceptance. They are fine examples of the interrelated creative force in love, art and nature. A highly gifted visual artist, it is no wonder that her poems are filled with distilled and colorful images. They usher you into her world-a world that, like her sculpture and paintings, evokes nature as the physical manifestation of spirituality. One cannot quickly absorb any of Nadine Gay's work. It is rich with layers and levels of meaning to be unraveled. Slowly, her poems and visual art draw you into their dream world, a place where connecting with yourself and the collective unconscious becomes possible.