Richard Cole's wonderful book, Song of the Middle Manager, tackles two difficult subjects-the world of business and the world of the spiritual. His accomplished poems embody the present moment of algorithms, computer terminals linked to server farms, and "treasures in a museum built with oil." And Cole's voice-both witty and playful-is full of understanding and great tenderness as he examines the accommodations we all make to exist in the world; as the author says, "Every unremarkable donut shop/is somebody's act of faith." ...Song of the Middle Manager is strong work, heartfelt and smart, a book of devotion you can bank on.

-Robert Cording, author of Without My Asking

"The head and the heart continually spar with spiritual communication in Richard Cole's newest collection of poetry, Song of the Middle Manager...Work and the spiritual have a connection, but how do they connect and why do they continue to be considered in our 21^st century world? Cole's work attempts to answer such questions...it addresses the link between our inner and outer orientation."

-Tyler Farrell, Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry

How in the world of balance sheets, mergers, and slick brochures, does our humanity grow and blossom? These poems of sacrifice and salvation pulled me in with their "stubborn harmony," their tendernesses, their conversations with god, their compassion, their ability to find how "this mortal beauty will save the world." Song of the Middle Manager is disturbing and utterly beautiful.

-Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer, author of Hush

I admire Richard Cole for his trek across the landscape of the business world. As for his art, count on intelligence, profundity, the heart in sync with the mind. These are generous-spirited poems, giving freely of themselves, always alert, always meeting at places between astute poet and eager reader alike.

-Ken Fontenot, author of In a Kingdom of Birds