Michael Magee’s Terra Firma: Sacred Ground is a staggering poetic achievement-a selection of poems written over the course of more than half a century. These timeless poems are vital to the tenuous times in which we live. In addition to spanning decades, the collection spans many thousands of miles crisscrossing the globe. Much more than a travelogue in verse, Magee offers thoughtful observations and unassuming humanity. Traversing countless roads from Pamukkale, Turkey to Tacoma, Washington, we are treated to allusions from literature, music, painting, photography, drama, film, television, mythology, philosophy, and history. But perhaps what is most enjoyable and profound about this collection is the poet’s wise and witty voice-the voice of a highly educated, creative, and critical thinker with a cracking sense of humor, someone who has regularly ridden the bus and trodden his hard-working bones until the soles of his shoes are holey-a soulful voice who sings for all of us.

-Lana Hechtman Ayers, author of The Autobiography of Rain