What We Carry

What We Carry is a profound exploration of the weight of human history at three levels: the individual, the cultural, and environmental. From her brilliant Extinction Sonnetsodes to various disappearing speciesto a spirited examination of everyday salutations, Susan Glickmans range astonishes: ice storms, sugar maples, early love on the Orient Express, an archaeological dig at Mycenae. Serious but not solemn, full of linguistic and imagistic playfulness, the collection is anchored by poetic translations of Chopins 24 Preludes, opus 28his most experimental and characteristic compositions. The intimacy of Chopins project has inspired sound-rich poems that, once again, prove Glickmans gift for capturing the frailty of human connections in a damaged world. First light and the last, / first love and the last.