In Bluer and More Vast, Michael Hettich writes, "Scientists had discovered a way to ascertain whyeach of us was born, by pricking us slightly through the moons of our thumbs . . ." Elsewhere the poet invents the remarkable notion that "Inside our bodies, in secret places, there are large-shouldered animals moving slowly through the tall grass . . ." Throughout this stunning collection of prose poems, life's mysteries are magnified by the poet's vast imagination. Each poem's magical conceit and earthy embrace reminds us of our place in the universe and the universe's place within each of us. -- Mia Leonin