For the young Kenji Takezo, the innocent surfer who inhabits this collection of poems, balance becomes more than just trying to stand on a wave. It is a way of surviving in a world as precarious as the ocean, a world constantly turning on itself.

Rick Noguchi was born in Los Angeles and raised in Culver City. He holds an M.F.A. in creative writing from Arizona State University. His chapbook, The Wave He Caught, won the 1994 Pearl Editions Prize.