Happenings, Heartbeats, and Mental Breakdowns

Sometimes I think summer has its own

pattern after all, some weirdly repeated

series of actions, happenings, heartbeats,
and mental breakdowns.

These are the first lines of "Road Work," the poem that opens this collection and sets the tone for the rest of the book. The poems are personal, emotional, and sometimes confessional, but Manthe always strives to engage readers' minds as well as their hearts. Many of the poems reflect the author's lifelong struggle with depression, and others who have ...