What a gem of a chapbook. Just before sitting down to read it, I had set down a draft of a poem, wondering, was it too narrative? Not really a poem or even a prose-poem, but bones of any essay? I passingly thought that one of my favorite things about reading and writing poetry it is its capacity to tell a story, despite its form differing so much from prose.

Then I read Wolf’s wonderful work. It is proof of this idea.

What seems briefly at first to be a concertedly direct, plot-oriented poetry is revealed to be deceptively precise and lyrical, underscores when read aloud in addition to silently. Wolf deftly weaves the key events of her timeline and her impressions of them in a way that both bluntly unearths stark realities, yet also leaves unanswered questions which force the reader to explore what they might sense for meaning.

Stunning, clear, sensitive and sensible storytelling through poetry.

i could relate to this way too much. My mother also has MS and it's such a destructive illness.

Ay yi yi! This is a powerful and wide-ranging collection. This reads very much like a memoir rather than a poetry chap to me, which I think is compelling and unlike most other poetry collections I’ve read before. There is a clear timeline here and each piece speaks to the rest in an important way. This is a loving but authentically raw and heartfelt tribute to a mother. I especially loved “Recycling the Travel Section.”

I love this book. It is a collection of poems that tells a gripping family story. Post-war sexual politics act in deleterious ways. The setting is something Betty Friedan would recognize. It's a nightmare and yet it's every day suburbia. Thank you, Rattle, for including this in my subscription.