Some Ether by Nick Flynn

Nick Flynn's poems are incredible!  His images are striking and precise.  The emotions are contained but raw.  There is deep sadness and wonder and anger.  Flynn deals with family trauma (mother's suicide, dad's homelessness) with clarity and no self pity.  His measured tone and craft are flawless.  Buy here.

From "Bag Of Mice"

I dreamt your suicide note / was scrawled in pencil on a brown paperbag, / & in the bag were six baby mice. The bag / opened into darkness, / smoldering / from the top down.

From "Flood"

. . . In grade school I heard / clouds could weigh three tons & I wondered // why they didn't all just fall to the ground. Lately // I study rain, each drop shaped / like a comet, ten million of them, as if a galaxy / had exploded above us.

"Prayer"

Who are you talking to? she asks, the room empty.