Poet Zamounde S. Allie, Jr. demonstrates intense concern with the power of emotion in this book of verse, As the World Burns. In the first poem, "Life," the poet finds his true life within himself only in the glow of "the one who came so that my soul shall not die." The next poem, "The Precipice," looks into the depths of man-made destruction. The verse "Common Bondage," ponders the nature of injustice, and in "The Storm," the poet conveys a sense of the power and pain of strong emotions. The poem "Dismantled Spirit," describes some ambivalent emotions. Poems that voice feelings of anger and love, confusion and certainty, along with an abiding awareness of spirituality and social concerns.

A native of Detroit, Michigan, ZAMOUNDE S.ALLIE, JR. is a staff sergeant with the U.S. Air Force. His religion has fluctuated from Islam to Christianity, but first he had to find God in himself. Man, he feels, seems to get caught up in too many specifics and falls short of knowing his spiritual side. He himself, the author says, made many mistakes growing up, mostly through following the wrong crowd. No longer a crowd follower, he now makes his own decisions from the heart.

To my grandmother Melva Rose Carden, may God bless her soul

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