“Whether he is conjuring up images of Southern coastal storm-ravaged backyards or the blast of a car bomb in a war-torn country, Steven Croft’s New World Poems imparts a sense of palpable earthiness. Life. Scent. Taste. Rot. It is what grounds his work, and yet, allows it to rise.” --Tina McElroy Ansa, author of The Hand I Fan With "You can take the soldier out of the war, but you can't take the war out of the soldier. Standing in line for a movie, the poet's mind wanders back to the desert. Sudden noises trigger combat instincts. Finally, the smell of sulfur dissolves into the scent of azaleas. The poet is home. Croft's New World Poems are as vivid as an incoming CAT 2 storm and as immediate." --Alan Catlin, author of Asylum Garden: after Van Gogh