Branch in His Hand

In Branch in His Hand a boy falls to his death and a mother sings a requiem in poems. The reader will not ever forget the Italy that he loved or the wall from which he fell. Charde takes us to Italy to the wall: A fissure in the wall like / a wound . . . and to the sea in search of healing. In these brutally honest beautiful poems we face the death of one who is dearly loved and recognize as the poet says that grief is at least part of what you / will grow into.—Pat Schneider author Writing Alone and With Others Oxford University Press and founder Amherst Writers & Artists.