Poetry. Brian Volck first establishes the irreplaceability of the body. 'What self/ remains, apart from the body(?)' he asks in an early poem. Then right before the reader's eyes, in one beautiful and witty arc, he transforms flesh to words. There is silence here, too, pauses to listen for the sound of hunger. And there is the profound wisdom that silence and hunger can bring. FLESH BECOMES WORD is a splendid debut.--Jeanne Murray Walker