Sometimes lovers enter a relationship with the best of intentions but wind up in a place far from love.

Sometimes poets attempt love poems, simple and pure, but . . .

Over breakfast, a husband trying to deny creeping out on his wife the previous night can’t help but give hints about the creepy things he really did. On a beach, a man minding his own business is accosted by a pretty woman before a strong tide embarrasses them both. A husband and wife debate over what to name a child conceived illicitly. A tone-deaf proposal for marriage ends in murder. A traditionally arranged marriage spins into a deranged and surreal nightmare.

These aren’t anti-love poems. These are poems born and burned out of love.

It’s not recommended that a reader attempt the entire book in one sitting. Many of the poems are dense, complex, and may go straight to the head. Best to peruse in small doses, with a preferred drink in hand.

Caroline Morahan

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