Double Effect

<p>Martha Serpas's <em>Double Effect</em> reimagines a principle first outlined by St. Thomas Aquinas in <em>Summa Theologica </em> which considers whether an action is morally permissible if it causes harm while bringing about a good result. In resonant verse pointed by Cajun language these poems measure the good that can come from destructive situations: maternal deprivation spiritual poverty mania ecological devastation. Serpas shows that compromised marshes and the Gulf of Mexico offer surprising sustenance and clarity. Time is marked by feast days hurricanes celebrations accidents and rescues along southern Louisiana's eroding coasts. <em>Double Effect</em> ultimately finds joy in survival in love and in spiritual fulfillment.</p><p>--Harold Bloom</p>