In this, his second collection, J.S. Campbell explores isolation, detachment, and the longing for meaning. The poems travel time and space, from modern and ancient wars in the Middle East, to the declining natural world, from struggles in the LGBTQ community, to the American west, and the systematic atrocities committed against Native Americans. These are stories of life, death, and an earth in crisis, but they also remain personal, human, and at times, autobiographical. Which is which? That may be an unanswerable question, but the journey is thought provoking along the way. The words flow simply, yet the themes are complex and, while each poem may have a direction, there are always undercurrents, refusing to fully surface. Enjoy the ride.
