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)&nbsp;</p>