Author: Jack Saebyok Jung Publisher: Black Square Editions (2025) HOCUS POCUS BOGUS LOCUS is a five-part poetic journey that moves from intimate personal memory to expansive reflections on culture, war, politics, and myth. Each section—titled as if part of a magic incantation—illuminates a different realm of “illusion” or transformation. A sense of restless seeking pervades, as the speaker mines pop culture references, religious symbols, and political upheaval to highlight the tension between private longing and communal forces. Over time, the voice ascends from grounded, everyday scenes into cosmic terrain, exploring constellations and ancient archetypes. Throughout the collection, poems continuously dismantle and rebuild reality, culminating in a final resonance that challenges conventional boundaries of origin and belonging.
