"It is this passion—unpredictable, rich, contagious– that will draw you into the tender poems in the Draw of Broken Eyes, poems that not only reflect his childhood and young adult years—but the lessons they have taught him. You will experience the loss of love “you are the catalyst and the razor, the haunting I can’t remember”, the pain of regret–“a road has stolen her closeness to me, the door is flung open with nothing outside but a humid afternoon” and the longing for redemption, where Brooks writes “reminding a sinner home is home, even alone”. Like Don Henley’s Desperado, Cliff’s life has been filled with many opportunities, though often times it seems he has only wanted those things he could not have. So, did this whirling-dervish of a Renaissance man finally find his redemption? You’ll have to decide for yourself—but the journey in The Draw of Broken Eyes is not to be missed. And then there is Whirling Metaphysics, the second book in this two-part collection. In what Cliff says is a sort of re-creation of his days working with the Department of Juvenile Justice in rural northwest Georgia, these poems will sting you with their honesty and shock you with their insight. David R. Altman is the Books & Writers Editor of the Pickens County (Ga.) Progress. He was nominated for Georgia Author of the Year in 2015 for his poetry chapbook “Death in the Foyer”, and has written for several publications including the Athens Banner-Herald, the Gwinnett Daily Post and Georgia Outdoor News.
