Kay Bell's piercing and poignant collection of poems begins in a place of displacement, as the poet endures her childhood uprooting from the Caribbean islands to a fragmented America. There she encounters a mother's harsh life, fatherlessness, a stressed girlhood, and elusive opportunity. She is "sponsored by aching," and experiences "what it means to be a grown woman afraid of the dark," and discovers "how difficult it is to anticipate the morning." Yet the poet's voice is resilient and determined, seeking intimate romantic connection, while attempting to relearn "trust in man's uprooting flesh.".