"You can live without a mother and a father, but you can't live in a world that doesn't make sense to you." --D.W. Winnicott Hard Poetry: A Family of Children is the story of children left to their own devices in a family headed by an alcoholic mother and a "disappearing" father. The author's memories as the oldest daughter, and the stories of the other children after they are grown, reveal patterns of abuse and betrayal by trusted adults, as well as untellable secrets...and the underlying emptiness that is the source of one family's anguish. In its penetrating witness to the darkness that can obstruct the light of even the best-intentioned people, Hard Poetry reveals the brokenness in lives appearing whole on the surface, as it shows the hidden wholeness of broken ones. Testifying to the healing power of personal passions and of simple kindnesses, this is a story of grief, helplessness and humor...and finding a way, every day, to live, think, and relate so the world slowly transforms into a place that eventually not only begins to make sense, but feels like home. Praise for Hard Poetry "Before one can address the healing of any aspect of our being, it's important to understand the dynamics of suffering, and the purpose it serves in our journey through life. We must acknowledge that we each have a soul that is capable of suffering, and equally capable of an existence devoid of it. This story tells of a remarkable personal journey toward transcendent awareness and self-knowledge, which are elemental to forgiveness, freedom, and the healing process." --Joyce Hasija, Teays Valley Wellness Institute