In Shades & Graces , Salcman tells us early on that Every intern knows it doesn't matter how long an incision is, just how wide, and in this accurate and marvelous detail provides a metaphor for the way a surgeon's suturing provides a signature, closed but open like a grave, that even God can't erase.
In poem after poem, Salcman's signature--the stitched lines of his verse--are characterized by verve, clarity, and formal finesse, and as such they attempt to heal the vari.
Spuyten Duyvil Shades & graces, paperback/michael salcman
