Locklin captures a world that many poets have yet to imagine. In this collection we watch him go back to his hometown for the first time in 25 years for his oldest son's wedding. Locklin captures the awkwardness of a history once lived, a first wife and family awkwardness, and that strange existential sadness you're left with when memories mix with a changed world that no longer works with the way things once were. Weber tells tales of desperation: looking for a job you know you're going to hate, not going to college because school didn't capture the knowledge he was looking for, and getting fired again from a job where the boss was the kind of guy who'd masturbate while making an obscene phone call. These folks know the real world, but don't buy into the illusions that most people need for their psychological survival. They drink, they survive, they write and let you know what they're seeing happen all around them. We talk about the edge, but they dance on the razor.--oberc
This review originally appeared in TapRoot Reviews #3,
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