In Mercy, local poet Judith Montgomery chronicles the story of caring for her husband as he endures cancer treatment. Though brutal in its technology, the medical world Montgomery describes is merciful in its human form, peopled by chemotherapy nurses whose expertise is matched by mercy, as they “lift the plumped / sac, poisons mixed to pour fire into flesh.” Anyone who has had even the least brush with cancer will find here an honest and hopeful world, where suffering is lightened by the sight of butterflies, “mutable flames that glide as we– / refugees from the cancer center, / and stunned by treatment– / … glide in luxurious / light, afloat in paradise.”
Pansies, Oregon poet Carol Barrett’s collection of thirty slight, delicate vignettes, recounts her experience of the Apostolic Lutheran community through the lens of the young, Apostolic woman, Abigail, who babysits for her daughter. Each brief yet intimate piece housed within this collection renders the indelible bond formed between Abigail and the narrator’s daughter with grace and wonder. Barrett’s prose is precise. Honed with care and a keen sense of language, each vignette distilled to its essential essence. The love and admiration Barrett develops for Abigail is palpable, as is Abbie’s own devotion, not only to Barrett and her daughter, but her own community and way of life. Pansies is a vital, touching tribute to the necessity of human connection, and the astonishing power of transcending that which divides us. Pansies is a finalist for the Oregon Book Award!
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