Recollecting the Snow

Jane Sasser

Men
Who Expect Us
to Find Their Keys

are never satisfied. There's a world
full of lost change, misplaced bills,
overlooked offspring, none of it
their fault. While the rest of us
scramble through the clutter
of tabletops, desk drawers, coat pockets,
they pace and fume, holding forth
in eloquent prose on the carelessness
of the universe. God forbid
that one of us should forget,
become distracted in our search,
find ourselves lured by something
that is not a key. We must remember:
stay focused. This is important.
And the men who expect us to find keys
stand in the doorways, already
one step beyond us all.

ISBN 1-59661-081-6
43 pages/$9

Home, family, and backyard beauty set in motion these rich poems that trace Sasser’s pilgrimage through love and loss to wisdom. In the end—like Paiute women—she can ‘transport home like water…’ carry her own soul, and ‘learn to sing.’ She makes us readers join in her heartfelt song.
—Doris Betts