Ricky Ray Livres

Exploring the intense emotions of desire, this chapbook captures the duality of passion through vivid imagery and evocative language. The interplay between agony and ecstasy is central to the work, inviting readers to reflect on the complexities of love and longing. Each poem delves into the depths of human experience, making it a compelling read for those drawn to the intricacies of emotion and the transformative power of desire.

Poetry. In FEALTY, the world quickly reveals itself as more complex and mysterious than we imagined. In poems surreal, feral, visceral, and yet tender, moving, and wise, Ricky Ray guides us through themes of love, death, animism, fidelity, belonging, and care. There is something of the ancients in his consciousness, which continually reminds us that we not only inhabit the earth, but are movements of the earth itself. Ray's connection to creatures great and small feels elemental; dog and dandelion stand beside man and mountain in the light. His eco-poetics, reminiscent of Wendell Berry and Joy Harjo, displays the dark passion of duende and the rhythmic swing of jazz manouche. All told, Ricky Ray is a modern-day mystic, and FEALTY is a series of startling visions capable of inducing a more intimate kinship with the world.

Through visceral and vulnerable poetry, Ricky Ray meditates on the pain and powerlessness that comes with an awareness of our mortality. Finding joy through connecting with the natural world, Ricky navigates his ache of living, allowing us to accompany him and his beloved service dog, Addie.