Against Silence: Poems

"The memories recounted in Frank Bidart’s newest poems are spiked by regret; the hopes barely dare. But the pain is more than worth it if, in exchange, there is some glimpse of the truth. At the center of the collection is the latest fifth in Bidart’s ongoing “Hours of the Night” series, a searing reckoning with a mother and father who lived their lives “seemingly/ without/ catharsis.” When Frank Bidart faces mortality, he really faces it, head-on, from every angle. Each of Bidart’s books is a bit holy to me; I’m grateful to have him as a guide down these dark paths."