The Arizona Son is a book of poems that reflects a poet that is inward yet observant to the outside world of experience, influenced by Arizona. The title The Arizona Son is a metaphor with many layers of meaning. On one level it is about the beautiful and diverse state of Arizona, but as you read into the book you will understand the many different layers of meaning.
On another level, the title The Arizona Son is an icon (ideal) like other titles of poems in this book such as "The Poetry Man" and "The Teacher". In these poems, the speaker is honoring an icon, an ideal that the speaker aspires to be. The speaker not only refers to the self, but others as well. In some ways, the poet is The Arizona Son, but so are his brothers and others. The Arizona Son also reflects a philosophy, as seen in poems like "The Canyon Faces" and "The Little Navajo Girl", that we must nurture Arizona (the earth) as one would nurture a son or any child, showing respect for nature and people. Plus, it is about spirituality as seen in poems as "Depth" and "Scared of My Conscience". And, there is much more. The reader can gain a lot by reading The Arizona Son.
