{"product_id":"odd-mercy-paperback","title":"Odd Mercy - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGail Thomas\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the 2016 Charlotte Mew Prize\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe centerpiece of \u003ci\u003eOdd Mercy\u003c\/i\u003e is \"The Little Mommy Sonnets,\" a crown of sonnets that carries us poignantly through the life and death of the poet's mother, as well as their complicated bond over time. I was impressed with Gail Thomas' dedication to craft, her richness of detail and especially her deft transitions from the end line of one sonnet to the opening line of the next. The challenge here is to repeat the line, but to make it new, to show us another facet, and Thomas does that so skillfully in these poems, propelling us forward through the narrative. Poetry uses words to convey what is beyond words, to say the unsayable. The last line of \u003ci\u003eOdd Mercy\u003c\/i\u003e expresses this paradox tenderly as the poet reflects on her mother: \"your words\/now gibberish, your voice always in my head.\"\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003eEllen Bass, Judge of the Charlotte Mew Prize\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe stunning centerpiece of \u003ci\u003eOdd Mercy\u003c\/i\u003e, \"The Little Mommy Sonnets\" explores a complicated mother\/daughter relationship that is turned on its head by dementia. \"Did we find each other too late or just in time?\" asks the daughter as her mother's \"sharp tongue dissolves\" and her own \"armor melts.\" Beautifully written, heartfelt, generous, and forgiving, all the poems in this collection touched my heart deeply. Gail Thomas is a poet of tremendous talent.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003eLesléa Newman, author of \u003ci\u003eI Carry My Mother\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOn \u003ci\u003eWaving Back\u003c\/i\u003e (2015) \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese are poems of authority and grace, alive with the pulse of desire and the mystery of our deep connections.\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003eJoan Larkin\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThomas brings precise observation and earned wisdom to poems in which the \"bitter and the sweet entwine.\"\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003eRobin Becker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 46\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.1 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 10, 2016\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47448383094962,"sku":"9780997914924","price":13.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0770\/3891\/1666\/files\/59add9d6b29718057210245dd82e8848.webp?v=1778753637","url":"https:\/\/box.dadyminds.org\/products\/odd-mercy-paperback","provider":"DADYMINDS BOX","version":"1.0","type":"link"}