John Reibetanz captures the ordinary details of life -- family and friendship, birth and death -- and transforms them into the extraordinary. His seventh book of poetry is a masterful collection, finely crafted with wit, warmth and affection. Transformations is divided into four parts, each providing a different perspective on the main theme. Choosing not to confront but to explore, he allows for subtle revelations of a deeper truth which hover just beneath the surface, turning the world upside down and right side up again with his poetic "transformations." The result is nothing short of magical.