jdoublep's review
3.0
this collection is charged with an emotional depth that is as rewarding as it is draining. this is a warning to the reader - not a ding on the poems - a warning that there are precious few spaces of refuge from pain within these pages. the collection opens and closes with pieces that nicely bookend, both in setting up and providing closure to, the conceits that bayles wrestles with. there are a few poems throughout the middle of the sequence (in particular the 4 starting with "lew welch" and ending with "murphy's law") that seem out of place; not quite filler pieces, because the verse itself is rich and enjoyable, but due instead to noticeable differences in the structural features, tone, and thematic connections found in and among the other poems. if you have a chance to see jameson recite these or other poems, i highly recommend it. his delivery provides an additional dimension by which one can approach this work.
More...