Things to Say to a Dead Man: Poems at the End of a Marriage and After
"Written in the final months of her husband's battle with cancer and during the five years after his death,Jane Yolen'sThings to Say to a Dead Manis a quiet and elegant chronicle of grief."—Minneapolis Star Tribune"Common language, clarity, and precision distinguish these poems. As long as there are grievers, these poems will have a grateful readership."—Ray OlsonforBooklist"Jane Yolenand I were in 4th grade together. Inevitably, we lost touch. Then reconnected as our husbands died. My grief has been silent. But Jane's poems give it words. So specific to her mate and her experience, she eloquently speaks to all our losses, and how it was to love."—Susan Stamberg, Broadcast Journalist"Written mostly 'in the hush after,'Jane Yolen’s poems to her dead husband brim with both the ache of 'wading through thigh-high grass' of the past and the ache of the now world, where he 'comes calling' in the guise of the songbirds he loved. Nothing can 'solve the heart / or salve the heart or safe the heart,' but there is solace in the grieving and graceful music of this book.—Ellen Doré Watson, Director, The Poetry Center at Smith College"Things to Say to a Dead Manis a stunning book. WhatJane Yolenoffers the reader is nothing but the truth: this is what grief looks like, sounds like, smells, like, feels like. Only one who has loved so deeply can mourn this profoundly.Things to Say to a Dead Mandoes what all good poetry should do: it wakes the reader up, reminding us that life is fleeting and therefore full of sadness and therefore utterly beautiful. Like Donald Hall'sWithout,Things to Say to a Dead Manis necessary poetry. Finely crafted and full of gorgeous imagery, every single word is an arrow that pierces the heart."—Lesléa Newman, Poet Laureate of Northampton, MA 2008-2010, author ofNobody's Mother"[Jane]Yolenis a renowned children's author, with more than 300 books to her name. In her first collection for adults, she limns her experience with loss in straightforward and clear lyrics."—Elizabeth Hoover,Pittsburgh Post Gazette