Texas sprawls. No other state can claim such varied nationalities, geographies, and cultural richness--a largesse of natural resources, cityscapes, and landscapes of every ecosystem. With a unique, raucous, and rich history, Texas also abounds with some of the most diverse contemporary poets, many of whom consider themselves "Southern," and the eighth volume of The Southern Poetry Anthology reflects this variegation with poems both traditional and experimental, Texas-centered and universal. SOW Chomping her chocolates of fresh road kills, she swaggers through her slop, oblivious of the piglets she crushed during last night's slumber, squishing through the splits of her thick, cloven hooves. The last boar which tried to straddle her fabulous girth fractured both forelegs. She dined on his carcass for days, grunting in the shade. --Larry Thomas