"'Sand' is an apt title for this collection of poetry], as sand is the essence of our regional soil, and one might easily assume that Al Bona too is an essence of our regional spirit--though of far greater complexity than sand. But sand is also an old word for grit--meaning grit of spirit, as in true grit. If a man had "sand," he had quiet toughness or tenacity. Or pluck. And here it is in these poems: the rich mix of quirky self-deprecation and feisty defiance, skilled stylistics tandemed with startling music, wide-ranging intellectual curiosity with a heart both quizzical and tender. Al...