Tim’m T. West’s luminous chapbook Bare, long out of print, has been recently expanded, rebound and re-issued by the much-lauded artist. I must confess, Bare is a terribly difficult read, not because West has lost any of his extraordinary power as a master poetic spellbinder; his lyrics are as fluid and liquid as they have ever been; his coloristic range is still awesomely broad, his ability to reach long buried emotions and unearth long forgotten blood-memories intact.It is simply that Tim’m Terrell West has other assets, namely himself. On Bare’s new cover, there is a painfully gorgeous picture of the artist shirtless, flaunting mahogany skin marble-like in its smoothness, a deliciously muscular chest and finely chiseled arms, long, flowing messianic locks, all crowned by a heart-stopping face wearing a mixture of masculine solemnity, wide-eyed vulnerability and flaming, volcanic eroticism barely held beneath the surface. With all this, it might take readers awhile to get past the cover.

Once a reader is able to tear himself away, however, he finds a Garden of Eden, West inviting his readers into his own spiritual and emotional nakedness unafraid. Most of the pieces in Bare are inspired by, and dedicated to, close friends of West’s (blessed souls!) and he pours out his gifts on them unstintingly, producing an art diamond-like in its endurance and piercing in its sweetness. Get Well Presence is a promise of tenderness, intimacy and belonging of such delicacy and poignancy it can scarcely be voiced. Learning to Cry is a heart-rending, bronze-voiced utterance, a rare and unusual perspective; we are finally able to hear the voice of sorrow in the low resonant key of masculinity and the beauty of the song is nearly unbearable. West has always been a remarkable essayist and his offerings in Bare are worthy of his highest standards; Notes On a Perfect Partner is rich with elegantly voiced perspectives and sparkling humor and This is What Tim’m’s Brain Looks Like Under Oshun’s Microscope invites the reader into the very inner sanctum of West’s heart. In short, Bare is a little miracle and it creates stupendous expectations for the next wondrous gift from the poet-king.