{"product_id":"poems-on-the-precipice-elise-chadwick-9781639808908","title":"Poems on the Precipice","description":"\u003cp\u003eOn the precipice, there are chalkboards, Beanie Babies, strollers, dragon nuns, Mad Libs, manilla folders! These vibrant poems journey from the \"soft swell hidden beneath books and bags slung belly up\" to \"gray dust - all that remains \/ of you.\" Each poem carries the poignancy of a freshly sharpened pencil. Moments pass, the poet wisely notes, \"as time must do;\" still, we revel in the \"sweet smells\" of home-baked cookies as much as \"that smell of polish and disinfectant.\" This necessary antidote to our oft-stricken world wryly, gently reminds us of small ecstasies: graffiti, \"lingering doorway hellos,\" \"speckled mist.\" I love these lyrical anecdotes - their dearness, their sacred trust in children, literature, memory, their \"faith in equilibrium.\" Despite the mortal struggle, onward we cartwheel.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlessandra Lynch\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, poet, author, \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eWish Ave\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eElise is an intuitive guide. Like a magnet, her poetry takes us to the brink of innocence and experience. Brave, sorrowful and ticklish vistas steer us inward, reminding us that freedom is felt in the nose and lungs, something we can inhale; and facing truths eases the descent.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eMaureen McNeil\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, author, the \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnna Magdalena\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e trilogy\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA reader can feel the sand sift through the hourglass in these moving and beautiful poems. With a very human eye at its center, Chadwick's poetry looks out at the shifts in life, the long climb toward death, but always with humor and kindness at its core. In this collection emerges a loving concern for others - students, children, grandchildren, strangers in a cancer ward - as well as the revelations of the self, the writer as fellow traveler. The book's focus is on living with eyes open, with heart open to spring as well as winter, with getting to the essence of life with directness and strength.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e-\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eKevin Boyle\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, author, \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eAstir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Home for Wayward Girls\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Elise Chadwick\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1639808906\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781639808908\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Kelsay Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/25\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 66\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.22lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.14d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 02\/01\/2026","brand":"Elise Chadwick","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48454250135807,"sku":"9781639808908","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d8b0ce9c-c2c8-4595-980c-efe1e773bd6a.jpg?v=1777305079","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/poems-on-the-precipice-elise-chadwick-9781639808908","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}