Shhh Shhh the lights are out
and the little suspicion
sleeps and dreams
and whimpers in its crib
Its tongue is ugly and blue
She climbs She climbs
in silence and fury spinning groggy
in darkness and wind Look
her left hand bears for you sweetly
a gift of lightning
and lillies to please you Though
O Tonight
in her right hanf she
has invented gravity
- from Woman Kills Sweetheart With Bowling Ball

This first collection of poems is an extraordinary book by an authentic young poet. Laura Kasischke's work is powerful in its vision, its memorable persona, its haunting music. The imaginative details in these poems throw the reader off-balance with their strange blend of savagery and sweetness, tragedy and joy. Here is a poet who is able to evoke the mysteries of folklore and life both sadly and wisely, and to combine the ancient and the contemporary with an eerie intensity. The result is a brilliant book of poems full of dark and stunning images that cannot be comfortably forgotten.