The Loneliest Monk

From aleph to bet, "a" to "b," a gap. As wide or as narrow as the gap between the loneliest monk and his neighbor, human or Divine. That's the gap the loneliest monk of Richard Chess's fifth poetry collection seeks to bridge. Who is the loneliest monk? As Chess writes, he's a "monk without a monastery," "a sit without a sangha," "a minyan of one." In other words, he lives outside of traditional settings and belongs to no traditional community. Nevertheless, because hunger troubles his every waking hour, he draws on Judaism and other traditions in his search for ultimate connection. In poems characterized by their wit and wisdom, The Loneliest Monk offers us glimpses of a seeker's life from childhood through early old-age.