Triage

Triage explores the longing, contempt and search for meaning that many artists go through, but without the nihilistic angst that one has come to expect from these themes. With an eye for the brutal truth and an ear for poetic honesty, Conklin dives into pain, grief and contempt with the love and joy of the artist at play, the poet laying bare the soul.In "Livestock Management," Conklin creates the metaphor of consuming a lover like one would raise, groom and devour cattle. "I want you to be my healthy / steak alternative. Want you / to beg to be my last meal." You, the reader, like the object of the poem are devoured by the exquisite imagery and poetic artistry.These are poems rooted in the universal themes of the human condition, whether they be verbal sparring with a lecturing parent, thundering critiques of "Angels in America," or a train load of sweating Yankees fans falling victim to rats in Paris whosurvived the Bubonic Plague, or the simple truth of birth: "Your eyes opened first / against the raw wound / of your mother, not / the salt palm of the divine."