Meltwater

In Craig Evenson's Meltwater, we sit by the side of the road watching the seasons change, among wolves, foxes, dogs, cats, a bird taking cues from a hawk. We smell the freshly-cut grass embracing a father's body; we stare into the deep eyes of our neighbor, the crow; we spend time in motel lobbies, loading truck beds with benches marked "free";we attend a family reunion; a mother asks, "How long must we live?" Our shared world is never quite lonely. We watch it, and it watches us trampolining, practicing our gyotaku, leaving behind shadows dipped in ink. In Evenson's collection, we travel many miles only to face the brief cycle of life. Beautifully crafted.~Suzanne Nielsen winner of the Oleb Books Poetry Prize, Face Up