Love isn't just about euphoria; it can be angry, mad, destructive - even tragic. It involves every dimension of our being in infinite ways and degrees. We are attached to love because love is attached to everything. Blurring the lines of poetry and fiction, this blend of gothic verse and fable is an ode to anyone who has traveled through the darkest roads and deepest waters to find love. This debut introduces readers to A.X. Salvo's strange collection of the most delicious elements of fantasy, horror and romance. We follow a familiar thread of near unrequited love. But this particular love is about an extraordinary being. In "The Intangible" she is a mourning mother, in "Harlequin" a lost lover, she is then reborn as a goddess with astounding power in the epic poem "The Muse of Love and Pain." Salvo's influences range from the classical poets Milton, Poe, Keats, and Dickinson to contemporary writers Plath, Bukowski, Gaiman, and Anne Rice. He finds inspiration in surrealism and the works of artists such as Dali and Man Ray as well as graphic novelists James O' Barr (creator of "The Crow") and David Mack (creator of the "Kabuki" series).