Food Truck Elements of Shadowed Lights

Food Truck Elements of Shadowed Lights is a vivid, atmospheric collection of poems that moves through memory, travel, aging, and the shifting textures of everyday life. d. n. simmers writes with a cinematic eye, capturing the stark contrasts of light and shadow that shape human experience. From the cold edges of winter streets to the humid nights of Waikiki, from food trucks humming under strings of lights to the quiet ache of remembrance, these poems explore the fragile, luminous moments that define a life.Simmers blends narrative fragments with lyrical observation, creating poems that feel lived‑in, weathered, and deeply human. In pieces like Beautiful Sufferings, he reflects on the unexpected grace found in tragedy: 'The chance to fix something shattered with something new.' Elsewhere, he turns his attention to the natural world - hawks circling over cold beaches, dragonflies waiting beneath frozen ponds, snow falling 'onto the cold footed bodies... onto the living.'Travel poems set in Hawaii bring warmth and colour to the collection. Food trucks, hotel pools, breakdancers on Kalakaua Street, and the hum of late‑night conversations create a sense of movement and immediacy. These pieces contrast sharply with poems rooted in the Pacific Northwest, where snow, rain, and memory settle heavily across the page.Throughout the book, simmers returns to themes of aging, loss, and the persistence of small miracles. Whether recalling a father’s grief, a near‑fatal accident, or the simple act of talking to dogs by a pool, he writes with tenderness and clarity. His voice is grounded, unpretentious, and quietly wise.Food Truck Elements of Shadowed Lights was a finalist for the Fred Cogswell Award for Excellence in Poetry and showcases simmers’ gift for capturing the extraordinary within the ordinary. These poems invite readers to pause, listen, and look again at the world’s shifting shadows - and the light that always finds its way through.