Written between 2007 and 2022, this collection of lyrical poems explores the the impact of a spouse's dementia on a loving relationship. These are poems in search of a good life, which, the author believes, must be available to us even in the midst of profound suffering.

In her introduction, Christine Klocek-Lim, editor of Autumn Sky Poetry DAILY writes, "most of the poems that appear in my inbox every day deal with grief and love, yet few manage to walk the border of both with such grace and lightness as does this book of poetry.... the splintered pieces of poems are glued together with lush imagery and difficult realizations, until at the end, 'the art / of golden repair is the art of refusing / to hide the beautiful strength of our damage.' The speaker has learned to gild pain with beauty. The reader has learned that beauty in loss is indeed possible."

Review Quotes:

"a desire for hope carves a path through grief in this powerful, must-read collection." --Paige Riehl, author of Suspension

"...illuminating the ferocity and complexity of the pursuit of grace and harmony." --Kris Bigalk, author of Enough

"...a shout out to the universe about persistence...love and beauty."--from the Introduction by Christine Klocek-Lim, editor Autumn Sky Poetry DAILY

"Tracy Rittmueller's lyrical poems delve to the very deepest levels of loss and grief, yet still contain glimmers of healing light and renewal." --Bill Meissner, author of five books of poetry and two novels, including Summer of Rain, Summer of Fire

"...this small, fierce, and beautiful book calls on Hesse, Rilke, and Rumi as Rittmueller grapples with what it means to live with and love someone whose mind is diminishing." --KateLynn Hibbard, author of Simple

Contributor Bio:Rittmueller, Tracy
Tracy Rittmueller is a crafter of poems, essays and stories, and the founding director of Lyricality, a Central Minnesota grass roots organization fostering the art of empathy through poetry and story. As a producer of cultural events and a teaching artist, she facilitates trauma-sensitive awareness in order to be deliberately inclusive, respectful of individual personhood, and increasingly aware of the ways language and authority are used within human relationships to give and take power.

Contributor Bio:Klocek-Lim, Christine
Christine Klocek-Lim is a prize-winning Pennsylvania poet and novelist who received the 2009 Ellen La Forge Memorial Prize in poetry. Her poetry book, Dark Matter, uses astronomy as a theme for human relationships. She has several chapbooks and has been nominated as a finalist for numerous prizes. Her poems and essays have appeared in Nautilus-Cosmos, 3 Quarks Daily, Diode, and elsewhere. She is the founder and editor of Autumn Sky Poetry DAILY (est. 2006), an international online magazine of daily poems that receives, on average, 20k visitors (50k views) per year with over 2000 subscribers.