Poetry that captures the highs and lows of human life.

In Cemetery Nights, Dobyns explores a full range of human experiences, from the fabulous storytelling of our dreams to the mute, explosive passions of domestic life, from vital distortions of familiar myths to strange tableaux of creation and death. Most of the poems are narratives—often frightening and sometimes downright funny—spun with a dark extravagance and aimed, with striking exactness, at our essential lives. The world of Cemetery Nights is haunted by regret, driven by desire and need, and illuminated by daring make-believe. The result is a collection of poems that offer a remarkable bridge between pure entertainment and deep psychological insight.