David Lee Garrison’s latest book of poetry is given review in Kirkus.
“Garrison’s latest poetry collection tackles a range of topics from animal companionship to grief. The book begins with a fable (“And Dog Said”) in which God creates Dog first, and only then creates Man to serve as his companion. God offers Dog the following word of caution regarding Man: “He has only a few words / like come and fetch, / and he knows little / of the earth / and its redolence, / but let him totter along / behind you and learn.” These attributes—tottering, learning, and speaking a few words here and there—recur throughout Garrison’s collection, which explores the complexities of aging and the sublimity of articulation at length as well as the relationship between people and dogs. The speakers marvel at the magic of small things, such as the intimacy of helping a woman zip a dress closed or the camaraderie of cancer patients sneaking off to share a nighttime smoke in a hospital parking lot:”
