An excellent book by Mr Moses. It takes you to a place unknownst to man where one can feel totally helpless yet feel the comfort of the author knowing that we are not the only ones out there alone.

Refreshingly Different. Takes a journey into the darker areas of living.

Back in 1999 I went with Simon to a typically forgettable South Florida housing community around an artificial lake to take the cover photo for "Alone: A Poetic Journey Into Despair." The first 24 of the 25 photos I took we eventually found unsuitable, but number 25 was perfect. The photo, as it turned out, came to symbolize the poet's separation from humanity. Across the lake, people were blissfully living their lives, while he, "the constant hitchhiker," could only watch on from afar.

Simon had leaped down an embankment and I took the picture. An instant later: a bird glided past the shot - low, shimmering, and reflecting magically on the lake in the early morning sunshine. We both knew that if we could have photographed the beautiful image of the bird flying over the lake with Simon in the picture - it would have been a magnificent addition to the cover photo. But alas: it was not meant to be.

When someone reads "Alone: A Poetic Journey Into Despair," it seems to be absolutely devoid of any hope. A bird is sometimes regarded as a symbol of hope, such as when Noah in the Bible, sees the olive branch in the beak of the bird, and knew that - at long last - land is near. It is also a symbol of human potential. People have been dreaming of flight by gazing wistfully at birds since the beginning of time. Studying the flight of birds has led to our conquest of the air, and, by extension, the moon. One day it will lead us to the stars.

So does it follow that our failure to capture the bird in the photo, representative of the idea that these poems are devoid of hope? Do these poems display nothing but wasted human potential? No! I think not. I - who have known Simon for so long - and have been involved in numerous fiascos to promote his poetry sees the restless seeker in his poetry. Year by year, I've seen him persist, and I've seen the same dark poetry lead to ever growing success.

It is like what Kahlil Gibran said in "The Prophet": "You can only know as much joy as sorrow has been carved into you." "Alone" shows Simon's exploration of his own despair and that of others. It is important to recognize the fact that he has survived and tenaciously still persists towards his goals, even though he has had to overcome many failures and a lot of other negative occurrences.

"Alone: A Poetic Journey Into Despair" is not a "Nevermind" or "Closer" (Nirvana and Joy Division, respectively) which were signposts of lyricists racing towards self-destruction. It is far more comparable to "Dark Side of the Moon" or "Disintegration" (Pink Floyd and The Cure, respectively)where the lyric writers were able to touch the void and not self-destruct, but rather turn their beautiful darkness into commercial and critical triumph.

I took the title for this review from one of my favorite poems in the book.