Two of Everything

An abundant and anticipatory collection of poems exploring the season of waiting that precedes adoption. From Guggenheim fellow and celebrated author Sally Keith comes an incantatory collection of poems on the transformative process of nurturing new life and the practical challenges of starting a family. In Two of Everything, Keith depicts an evocative domestic landscape. An oriole weaves a nest of straw, wool, horsehair, and feather while hopeful parents meet with social workers, compile family videos, write, sketch. Intertwined with these scenes is a candid navigation of the US adoption industry and the unique obstacles faced by queer couples. I want Amor to promise me that everything will be alright, says the speaker-poet. But she wont. Interviews dont go as expected, mothers withdraw from adoption conversations, the bees are dying again. Torn by feelings of shame for participating in a system that commodifies children, Keiths speaker-poet finds herself caught between longing and dismay, wondering if and how poetry can carry us through such momentsand through the mysteries of existence. But despite their difficult subject matter, these resilient poems sing with love. Singularly thoughtful and characterized by Keiths lush lyricism, this collection demonstrates the tenacity and tenderness needed to build harbor, shelter, home, house against all odds.