No matter the period in human history, grandmothers have always been important, cherished women in the family constellation. In this volume of poetry, a maternal grandmother calls the poet's family "a tempest in a teapot," but is only showing concern for her grandchildren's dysfunctional upbringing. A stern but forgiving figure in the poet's early life, Grandmother Nell comes to realize that "the children gone/Absolutes will not keep her company." A poetic tribute to a grandparent, The Lonely Grandmother spans a family history from the poet's childhood to adulthood and ends with the meditative piece of closure: "She closed the heavy door behind me. When I reached the sidewalk, I looked up at the cupola on the roof of the old house. A phantom flew out of the window beneath it and disappeared in the sky."