There is something uniquely contrary to Eliot in Ferrini's love for his body. Ferrini does not agonize over the inadequacy of language or the inflation of the self. Unlike Eliot, he comes to The Magi Image bearing neither academic nor modernist credentials. Rather he comes with a sharp tongue raised heavenward, prepared in simple measures for the song of the sacred Infant. The rhythms of Ferrini's art are spoken ones - emotional, impulsive, instinctual.
Words are tones that call the sacerdotal arts into play.
At eighty plus, he wants to know the ultimate truth about the place of the poem in the shadow of death. He is willing, with longevity, to mark the extended shadow of his own individuation in writing. Ferrini is a traditionalist with a deep trust in community and communication. He is a listener who demands listeners. The radical organization of desire within the totality of song is his ultimate message in The Magi Image.