Before a writer begins to compose a poem, there must first be a wide spiritual sensibilityWithin-an alertness, if you will, to nature in all its beauty and color as well as its darkness and danger. The true poet, in other words, always cultivates a mysterious ability to see deep down things, as Gerard Manley Hopkins put it. That is one of John Lawrence Darretta’s gifts. You will be swept along by his images and rhythms, by his daring conjunctions of words-but more important, he enables you to see below the surface. His is indeed the poet’s vocation. You will want to read and re-read these lyrics. They stick in the mind and go deeply into the heart.Donald Spoto, New York Times bestselling author of 29 books, including biographies of Alfred Hitchcock, Tennessee Williams, Ingrid Bergman and Joan of Arc

Nature’s Wheel, John Lawrence Darretta’s first collection of poetry, deals with cycles in nature, art, and life. In Peace Move, Darretta uses end rhyme to describe the removal of a home’s furnishings-a metaphor for a mind cleared of clutter to allow in the light. In other poems, Darretta deftly employs color to invite the reader in. My personal favorite, After the Storm, opens with the line All in an orange moment, vividly capturing the instant when nature’s fury transforms into the beginning of a new day. Darretta’s poems are a true celebration of nature.

Linda Simone, author of The River Will Save Us

John Lawrence Darretta was my English professor at Iona College. All these decades later, I still vividly recall how smart and sassy (think charming) he was-just two reasons Darretta was so beloved by his students. Yet I had no idea the depth and breadth of Darretta’s command of the written word. His poems do more than make him instantly recognizable as a true poet. Here is a genuine sense of style, where brevity marries bravura. Darretta’s ear for cadence reaches out and touches the reader in a real sense of lyrical style. I am waiting for volume two.

Alan W. Petrucelli, author of Morbid Curiosity: The Disturbing Demises of the Famous and Infamous; former entertainment reporter for CBS Radio Network