The Sun Has Shifted as Have I: Poems

A lyric reckoning with the radical possibility of joy.

"Bailey's poems hold a wisdom that feels desperately needed in our times."—Sunni Brown Wilkinson, Rodeo

Jonathan T. Bailey maps the process of transformation, weaving themes of longing, belonging, and self-discovery. Set against the beauty of the West where the buzz of cicadas and the song of the hermit thrush echo across the desert, the collection draws power from the land's ability to hold both desolation and renewal. Bailey's poetry embraces contradiction as essential to healing, refusing to separate pain from beauty or vulnerability from strength. Rather than offering closure, these poems reveal how wholeness is forged through emotional risk and the clarity gained by facing oneself fully.