Swist, in Invocation, shares in brilliant poetry his practice of discovering the spiritual in the commonplace. While hiking, he considers a snail, which becomes a touchstone for transcendence and insight; he shows us there is much to praise about a fox shapeshifting about the farmland on which the poet lives. Some poems honor artists and writers that Swist has known or who have influenced him. In one poem, he imagines a conversation with Albert Camus over an omelette and a glass of red wine. The poems in Invocation offer surprising experiences through carefully crafted images and invite readers to ponder meanings in those experiences.
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Wally Swist's books include Huang Po and the Dimensions of Love; Velocity; and The Daodejing: A New Interpretation, with David Breeden and Steven Schroder. His poems have appeared in many publications, including Commonweal, North American Review, and Sunken Garden Poetry, 1992-2011. Garrison Keilor has read hs work on the National Public Radio's The Writer's Almanac.