Some Good Writ: Christmas, Cancer, Dad, Wine, Sex and Jeff

Some Good Writ: Christmas, Cancer, Wine, Sex and Jeff by Jeffrey Bailey is an intimate, observant collection of poems that examine life within the poet's family, his own personal experiences, and the thoughts and emotions that propel him from one moment to the next. The sub-title offers a glimpse of what readers should expect in this superbly rendered collection of poems — sickness in the family and how it affects everyone, intimacy, passions, and observations on a variety of topics. Bailey writes about love, humanity, politics, and nature, and even offers strong hints of spirituality.

These are piercing and profound poems that deftly explore the intersection between dream and reality, mortality and what lies beyond the tomb, suffering, and freedom. The poems are beautifully written and the rhythm reflects the heartbeats of the speaker — in turn slow and measured and at times fast. The author evokes different atmospheres, ranging from the environmental to the political, and the personal, yet each poem stands alone on its own, grounded by the force of realism and the power of lived experience. The constant use of the pronoun ''I'' cements the intimate feel of the poems.

The imagery is noteworthy and Bailey has the extraordinary ability to capture the details that are universal, weaving insights into some of the poems, and writing about those emotions that readers can quickly and easily relate to, ''Streaming dreams in the cinema of the muted night / May affect and resound with the masses...'' Here is a thought, like many others, to reflect on, an insight into life: ''For in all achievement lies a balance / of torture and reward.'' Some Good Writ: Christmas, Cancer, Wine, Sex and Jeff is provocative and tender, a gorgeous offering for fans of poetry.