The poems in Patricia Colleen Murphy's Hemming Flames shook me. One by one, they informed and entertained. More, they reminded me of my own confusions, insecurities, regrets, and growth. They examined the complexities of family dynamics that can never be fully understood, only felt across time and experience.

These poems go deep, they re-angle light. The narrative styles vary, but these poems share one thing: precision. It is Murphy's ability to see my rapid-paced, over-worked, easily distracted mind and raise me one. Thank you to the author for slowing me down with passages, such as:

"But I do know how it felt when the cat
kept slinking closer to the room

full of coyotes in costume. And even
though I let things nearly happen,

no one can say I did not live a long time
in the danger theater, where the play begins
with all the dolls behaving perfectly."

I will return to this collection. I will show it off. This is a book full of heart and grit and love. Read it.