I think the mentality of our current civilization today is to pit our individual existence and continuousness literally against all the rest of the time and the Universe
Out of My Life and Two Visions is a journey from baseball to the depths of the soul. John Poff’s poetic memoir blooms from a tradition of Americana that finds meaning in minor league baseball stadiums, an encounter with a nightingale, and Kototama prayer. Poff ‘s lyrical language weaves together humor, mysticism, road stories, and memories into a poignant exploration of our place in the universe.
In Out of My Life and Two Visions, John Poff takes us on a journey that involves equal measures of self-reflection and physical reflex. Our stops along the way include the dugouts of professional baseball, the poetry of William Wordsworth, the Kototama Institute of Santa Fe, and the Rock Creek Powwow. We get advice from Enos Slaughter on how to handle a breaking ball and a meadowlark teaches us how to sing. It’s an utterly unique book from an utterly unique human being.
Michael K. Bourdaghs
Robert S. Ingersoll Distinguished Service Professor in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, University of Chicago
John Poff is an old ballplayer, a semi-retired old schoolteacher, and was a licensed acupuncturist, practicing for a decade in the latter portion of the last century.
The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota 