Patricia Scanlan's new collection is a weave of brief immediate poems that are 'spinning stories in a greystone pub,' old stories and ballads, hints of near-forgotten legends, Irish and otherwise. And both have a precision and directness, a bare language and simplicity, real and to the point, making them such vivid and passionate works. And both too are like a starting point for thought. They have that 'unfinished' quality which, said Picasso and Ron Kitaj, makes their art 'alive and dangerous.' Poems that are not polished cameos, but are 'unsure/ unsure of what whill happen next.' I can only admire, and envy, her deftness and confidenceto write in such a clear and innocent way. A lustrous weave indeed"--Lee Harwood.