Sprung Loose

O.M.G. I'm in love. . . Carleton's poetry is a magic tapestry of images, wordplay, and assorted wonderfulness. So, instead of waxing lyrical (which I would love to do), I think I'd rather let you, the reader, decide, by whetting your appetite with some of those stunning lines that bowled me over. For example: "By the time daylight throws a sun spear over the screened / enclosure and a green hummingbird is stitching the hibiscus / I'm well awake." Then these lines. . . "Squeak for help. Chirp for sex. / Eat bugs and multiply," or, "the quality of light that changes you / like a pair of prescription glasses revealing a world / so crisp you're waiting to hear it snap," or, "Days pass, edgeless as water," or, "That summer's hit, with its cloying melody and saxophone / like a woozy mosquito," and more, and more, and more. Carleton writes about home, music, the seasons, pain, death, and so much more, and she does so with a melody that never wavers in its harmonies, surprise riffs, and counterpoints. I can't do more than say that Carleton hits that poetry spot. Every. Time.

-Rose Mary Boehm, author, two novels, eight poetry collections, one chapbook

What a delight to slide into these poems like a cozy armchair before the fire, with a cup of tea in hand! It's no small gift to celebrate the joy and beauty of everyday things, but also their quirks. Sprung Loose makes the soul purr.

-N.L. Holmes, poet and author, The Lord Hani Mysteries

Sarah Carleton's poems are sensual and smart. She infuses magic into the ordinary things, and her details and word sounds are so delicious I found myself reading them aloud. Find a quiet room and savor these. You will be delighted.

-Shaun R. Pankoski