The Soul We Share
Published on 26. July 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
150 pages
978-1-915789-25-9 (ISBN)
Description
Through visceral and vulnerable poetry, Ricky Ray meditates on the pain and gratitude that arise from a keenly felt awareness of our fleeting existence. Recognizing his humanity as a facet of natural processes, Ricky measures the ache of living in a disabled body against the joy of 'being lived' by the places he inhabits. As we accompany him and his soul dog, Addie, through the scenic woodlands of New England, the concrete jungle of Manhattan, and the swamps of the Deep South, the lines between humans, animals and nature begin to blur and move in concert.
Shifting between forms both physical and elemental, we read of an existence lived not 'upon / but as one' with the Earth, 'whose being we are throughout and beyond our brief sojourn as human'. At the heart of this collection is the transformative experience of Ricky's life with an old brown dog, which teaches that soul isn't merely something we possess-it's an animacy deeply shared.
Shifting between forms both physical and elemental, we read of an existence lived not 'upon / but as one' with the Earth, 'whose being we are throughout and beyond our brief sojourn as human'. At the heart of this collection is the transformative experience of Ricky's life with an old brown dog, which teaches that soul isn't merely something we possess-it's an animacy deeply shared.
Reviews / Votes
*'These poems are built to aid survival, recovery, and endurance in a life where "everyone sips from his own flask of hurt." There's an undeniable enthusiasm to Ray's diction, "language arrived/ like a puppy in my pen"; "someone pulled/ the string on the lightbulb in my chest." This full-throated collection beautifully honors and upholds the voiceless' * **- Publisher's Weekly ** 'The Soul We Share does what a poetry collection is meant to. It puts forth ideas distilled to their very bones, which shine through the memorability of the images they put forward. It convincingly recalls memories of Ricky Ray's past, be they about his dog Addie who the book is dedicated to or about his own hardships. It provokes, teases the ear, and lends itself to being reread. It has something to offer all.' - Elkyn Ernst, The Indiependent 'The sense of responsibility meeting resolution echoes throughout the book. Ache is a spur to seek remedies ... The poems about Addie are undeniably touching, and perfect for fans of Mary Oliver's Dog Songs.' - Rebecca Foster (Bookish Beck)More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Product notice
With flaps
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 127 mm
Thickness: 9 mm
Weight
186 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-915789-25-9 (9781915789259)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Ricky Ray is a poet, essayist and eco-mystic who lives with his wife and his old brown dog in the old green hills of New England. He is the author of Fealty; Quiet, Grit, Glory; and The Sound of the Earth Singing to Herself, a finalist for The Laurel Prize. He was educated at Columbia University and Bennington College, and his awards include a Ron McFarland Poetry Prize and a Zoeglossia Fellowship. He lectures on poetry, animism and integral ecology, and he serves on the advisory board of the Program for the Evolution of Spirituality at Harvard.