Pariag Alley takes you into a world of fear, evil spirits, violence, sex in its various forms, insanity, shredded dreams, greed, and death. These are some of the key elements through which the reader comes to understand the inner life of this society, its perils and its promise. This is not to say that there is an absence of hope, generosity, humor, or wisdom here, it's just that forces in this island drama, relentlessly push the opposite way. This story unfolds in the idyllic setting of Arena Island, a fictional Caribbean country. But the white sand, warm sun, palm lined beaches, and...

Leaves in the Water combines nature poems and photography. The photographs illustrate each poem. The dominant poetic themes are life, love, death, rebirth, and nature's beauty. The author is an ardent observer of the natural world and shares what he has seen through photos and what he has learned from such observations through the poems. An old tree, a roadside shrine, or a fisherman may not in themselves hold sufficient interest for the casual observer but the conclusions derived from such observations are insightful and sometimes stunning. This is a volume the reader may want to revisit if...