black skylark singing

＂When a reader enters the pages of a book of poetry [with fiction], he or she enters a world where dreams transform the past into knowledge made applicable to the present, and where visions shape the present into extraordinary possibilities for the future. One of the funny things about those dreams and visions is that although they spring from the heart and soul of the writer, it is not unusual for readers to sometimes see themselves reflected in their light. This is possible because the reality of a serious writer is a reality of many voices, some of them belonging to the writer, some of them belonging to the world of readers at large.＂ --From Introduction to VISIONS OF A SKYLARK DRESSED IN BLACK