In this intoxicating blend of words and images, the observations of great poets mingle with the images of cinematography's masters to bring seven poems alive to viewers. Footage ranges from the front seat of the Cyclone roller coaster in 1940s Coney Island to present-day gun battles in Iraq. The film's visual underpinning gives an immediacy to the poets' words, touching on a wide range of social, political and spiritual issues.