The Scarecrow of My Former Self

<p>With vulnerability and gorgeous lush imagery Sarah Stockton presents a portrait of a life not defined by illness but circumscribed by it; a hybrid life of hospital visits and encounters with crystal healers coyotes iguanas. Stockton's poems of simultaneous rage and grace illuminate the realities of the chronically ill. </p><p>-Jeannine Hall Gailey author of<em> Flare Corona </em>(BOA Editions) and <em>Field Guide to the End of the World</em> (Moon City Press) </p><p><br></p><p>Sarah Stockton's <em>The Scarecrow of My Former Self </em>is a quiet delicate hymn of the bodymind that both aspires and persists; though the poet confesses she can't really do much / for... the world - and yet. This book is a reclamation of visibility not just for Stockton's speaker but for all who have a chronic illness. These poems create a metaphorical scarecrow a kind of spiritual scaffold on which to hang some hope. Like a conjurer Stockton creates a world of desire crafted from bloodied dancing shoes a mask // and a sea green bathing suit.... </p><p>-Jill Khoury Editor-in-Chief of <em>Rogue Agent</em> author of <em>Suites for the Modern Dancer</em> (Sundress Publications) </p>