Pomes is a collection of poetry thirty years in the making. Reflecting Smith's concerns with conceptual, experimental, post, and concrete writing, it is profoundly influenced by William Burroughs, John Cage, Gertrude Stein, and a host of other avant garde word artists. Here, he plays with a variety of styles and formats, trying to discover and outline the nature of discourse and communication. Deeply personal, at times autobiographical, his writing in these pieces looks at text, words, grammar, and syntax, exploring the very meaning of language itself.