Letters to a Poet Dying Young

A modern lyric poetry anthology documents the progression from adolescent pain to young adult confusion and ends at a balancing of the mind. Follow the succinct emotional progress of an American youth coming out of mental illness into a world of normalcy that is unknown to him. Watch as the veils of hatred, pain, abuse, self-loathing and the traps of hope and faith are lifted. The devices of poetry are shed to the essentials in a manner reflective of shedding of peripheral emotions. A look back on the jagged unguided paths of youth before stepping onto the expectation ladened domain that adults often take for granted. Forgotten discomforts lend light to the darkness of modern American youth culture. The dynamic of organic experiences catalyzes the spiritual growth and identity building of the poet.