"This is great lyric poetry. Why? Because it profoundly moves one via the deep, verities of human-being. Embrace of the varieties of love, of death, fury at war, evil and horrific abuse; in wrenchingly evocative images via the richest prosody. High poetry. Song. I feel virtually sanctified having read this. This is canonical poetry, poetry that changes your life." STEVE GOLDMAN, author of THE CANON OF THE LONE RANGER "A lifetime of quiet work becomes audible in this superb collection. WALTZING UNDER THE BUDDHA'S SMILE deserves a spot on the shelf of contemporary poets whose best efforts will still be worth reading in mid-century." BILL MOHR, author of HOLDOUTS: The Los Angeles Poetry Renaissance, 1948-1992