Third-Class Relics

The pleasures provided by Scott Dalgarno's Third-Class Relics are abundant. In evidence are a discerning mind, a musical ear, a witty intellect, and a bruised but open heart.

With precise diction, compelling narratives, and smooth, inviting language, Dalgarno examines a wide array of subjects. Here is a poet at ease with unease. In one poem, he

defines limbo as a place where "Kettle never boils; dog circles / and circles but never lies down." In another, he addresses an "unrealized" zygote th...