The Woman of Too Many Days

Book excerpt: Poetry. You might think I know/ the woman of too many days.// I don't. At least, I try not to./ She goes on and on,/ but I don't listen.// She happens to be where I am./ She happens everywhere,/ like a bad accident of a woman. THE WOMAN OF TOO MANY DAYS looks at the world askew and approaches wisdom through paradox. She is a realist, a magician, a crone, a seer, a maker of great fictions and a teller of truths. Vulgar, she sprays mango out her nose; elegant, she carries an old music box because 'music is the hardest child to leave behind.' Mary Cuffe's creation is compelling; this book keeps you listening -- David Swanger.