A powerful collection of diverse poems which is justly deserving of all the acclaim it has garnered. I especially enjoyed the occasional series of poems linked together by a common thread, One series of poems, for instance, begins with each one being kick started by a quote from a famous historical personage (St. Augustine, for instance) In fact. Mr. Pardlo's poems are effectively drenched with historical references. I love the way Pardlo gives deeply of himself in each well constructed verse. ( )