THIS TRANSFIGURED CHAPEL OF THE THREADS

These short poems, one hundred in number, meditate on religious life, its patterns of deep darkness and gleaming light. Sarah Law has been inspired by the Carmelite nun Saint Therese of Lisieux (1873-97) for many years and in this collection blurs the borders of self and saint. The poems follow a loosely chronological and biographical trajectory, drawing on sparks of image and memory. The resulting work is intimate, lyrical, and innovative, and by turns dreamlike, confessional, passionate, and poignant. The whole forms a chapel from poetic threads and fragments of faith.