Wordspeak

In "Hungry Mouth," he writes, "His secrets and truths remain within- / safe from the scrutiny of others. / His vulnerabilities remain known only to him, / for how could he bear to suffer the shame / of having others know him?" The paradox of this lyrical lament is that in this thoughtful collection, he allows us to see and experience his vulnerabilities, truly opening himself-and society-to scrutiny.

DeMatas finds a voice that is deliberate, strong, real, and arrogant. By his own pen in "Words as Peacocks," he states, "If my words were Earthly creatures-to you, / they would appear as peacocks perched high, / loud and bright, / ridiculously bold and audacious."

The material in this seventy-three-poem collection is written from the perspective of a twenty-something individual just trying to understand himself and his place in this world, something we are all searching for.