"The Seed Bridge is a collection of autobiographical poems composed by Terrence Alonzo Craft, covering a variety of themes: ardent and fiery love, airy philosophy, joy and pain, life lessons, and the esoteric. The pieces reflect a period of fifteen years, from Craft's mid-teenage years to his late twenties. They tell of the creation of powerful relationships as well as the deconstruction of those bonds; the development of strong religious beliefs and the painful losses of faith; transcendental philosophical brushstrokes and metaphysical pondering; declarations of personal strength and expressions of profound weakness. These poems read like abstract stories, exposing the artist bare. Rarely, will one encounter a work in which an artist is so transparently and fearlessly exposed. There's as much fragility as there is fortitude: power, courage, vigor, contentment and peace of mind blend here with vulnerability, fear, anguish, melancholy, and misery. The result is a wholly human portrait.The poems relate interesting life situations, small or large, that have left a mark on the artist and made him who he is. "Pastel and Shell" discusses the dangers of giving oneself to others without reciprocity. "Two Quaint Poems" is a two-part piece about blind headfirst love. "The Prophet's Spice Truck" details a quasi-obsessive one-way-street friendship, while Chinatown paints the hopelessness of disillusioned youth. "Self-Righteous" sees an almost manic pride devolve into fetal desperation, as "The Naked God" is a request from a disciple begging to see a clearer sign of his Lord. "For Certain" is the doubt about everything that we all have in our quietest moments, and "Caliweto" is a wild, Mephistophelean piece about the depths of depression. The final poem, "Suihallawuiyou (or the Girl at Ota'lu'kume)", is an art piece that uses the Delphic, the mystical, and the arcane to weave an experience.These are pieces to be digested and, at the end of the collection, you will gain an insight into the author which reflects back to your own human experience. This is no attempt at braggadocio, nor is it a pity-fest. It is an expression of the wholeness of life."

Author Biography

Terrence Alonzo Craft is a poet, writer, musician, photographer, and orator from Chicago, IL. In addition to his art, he has worked in education, social-work, community development, and youth counseling, for nationally funded nonprofits and in the nation's fourth largest public school system.