Poetry. Not afraid of illness and suicide and the untoward--Pam O'Brien's poems are unapologetic in their devotion to subject, clarity and directness. They fulfill the promise of that most satisfying poetic sensibility--they match the intimate to the mythic, the private to the public. Pam O'Brien explores what it means to have grace and is not afraid to name people and things--to embrace the idea that naming is dealing--what I too believe as poet. Throughout she asks whether and how art can contain grief, in poems loaded with humanity, generosity and love. They are original in the way that matters--they speak clearly of their source and celebrate the triumph of love--the poet's love for her children, her 'nanas, ' her husband and her own stumbles on the journey. Sometimes funny and full of surprises--we hear the same voices she has heard and take them seriously. And there are the many roles recounted of granddaughter, student, fashion plate, ex-wife with alternate permission-giving and coping words--as in a poem about her husband's illness: 'but he is still here so I do feel blessed.' One asks how she knows what she strongly tells and how she can she be so unafraid to speak? Advice from wise others in these poems are gifts too--'Don't be the one to walk the plank' or my most favorite 'Honey, something happens to everyone.' One will find here a new Penelope, Mary Magdalene, Snow White, Isaac and Apollo that will delight or admonish in a contemporary setting. The voice is affirmative and celebratory--'you are the map to those things I know about love'--and 'all I knew of green belonged to you' tempered at times by that inner sage 'Moisturize your neck or you'll look like a chicken when you're old.'--Rosaly DeMaios Roffman