The Sealey Challenge, Day Eighteen: Late Wife

 I'd started to see the name Claudia Emerson in acknowledgements and online more and more frequently, and although I am familiar with the work of Sonoma County poet Donna Emerson, I did not know the poetry of the late Claudia Emerson (1957-2014). I wish she were still around, still writing. I wish I could have had the opportunity to learn from her in person.

This poems in this book are quiet, controlled, and devastating. She writes with matter-of-factness that belies the intelligence and deep emotion of the pieces. Nothing heavy-handed here; she makes it look easy. It's not easy. This is a Pulitzer Prize-winner that deserves the award.