Red Cardinal, White Snow
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
10-2024
ISBN
978-1-964277-15-8
Abstract
In Red Cardinal, White Snow, Susan Ayres tells us in the first poem that childhood is not a meadow, and she will document the spirit shatter of mental illness and family trauma. But these stunning poems do so for the sake of talking back to ruin, showing us the beauty of love under pressure, how illumination coexists with heartache, and disorder strengthens kindness. These poems are a master class in the art of becoming human. ~Betsy Sholl
The poems in Red Cardinal, White Snow by Susan Ayres allow readers to touch “the broken membrane between sanity and terror.” That membrane has all the voltage and punch of a live wire, but the powerful, heart-heavy, and earthy, images ground us, keep us safe as we are reminded how shockingly fragile living and loving well can be. ~Tomás Q. Morín
In Red Cardinal, White Snow, the poet’s work has been to mold the mud of experience into a vase of words. And she has succeeded by calling on all the shaping devices of poetic form. From the brilliant title and perfectly chosen Octavio Paz epigraph, to the striking metaphors, and memorable diction (“susurrated stories”), Ayres’ poems transform howls of anguish into art. What an accomplishment. ~Bonnie Lyons, author of So Far
Num Pages
40
Publisher
Main Street Rag
Recommended Citation
Susan Ayres,
Red Cardinal, White Snow
(2024).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/2187
