Synopsis:

In these poems I try to understand the transformation of our family under the pressure of a son's drug addiction. Using shifting chronology and different voices, I explore our family's efforts to understand the changing reality of our lives and to live with the knowledge that we can't keep those we love safe.

 

Book Excerpt:

"All It Will Take"

I do not leave a shoe untied,

forget to put milk back in the refrigerator,

lose a sock to the static of an undershirt.

I do not break a glass

wedged too tightly in the dishwasher,

drop a plate on the floor.

 

The funace repairman must come when he says he will,

the red squirrel must not hang upside down on the squirrel-proof bird feeder

eating food laid out for sparrows.

The weather must be clear and brisk, as promised.

If it rains I will cry.

 

It if rains I will cry,

if the garbage bag rips,

if onions burn in the pan,

if the tea is too hot,

too cold.

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Type of Work:

Poetry

Publishers:

BOA Editions

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