This collection o_ers not just a volume of poetry but a selection of cinematically vivid images: unpredictable places, depiction of cultural juxtapositions, but most of allÑsomewhat eclectic reflections of moments in time. Gari Light is a trilingual, contemporary American poet, based primarily in Chicago, yet his outlook and the subjects of his writings are truly interconnected and global. Light is well aware of how the puzzle comes to be whole: by staying open to the wide-ranging nuances of languages, beliefs and emotions that comprise his poetry. It seems that the Ukrainian capitalÑKyiv is the proverbial organic and necessary must for this poet. His returns to the city are constant, both in verse as well as in person. Well into his third decade as a poet, Light does not let his mature voice cast doubts. These are truly love poems and war songs crafted as universal encounters on those battlefields.