Friends, You Drank Some Darkness

Joanne Harris Allred takes her title from a line by Swedish poet Tomas Tranströmer, the Nobel Laureate known for his precise and enigmatic imagery. Her poems also rely on precise imagery and description, and though less enigmatic, they can be deeply profound. The poem she borrows from is called "Elegy," which seems appropriate since this collection contains a number of informal elegies for parents, friends, siblings, pets, and even her younger selves. Her theme is revealed in the first poem...