Such Short Supply

In Such Short Supply, Michelle Brooks presents a captivating portrayal of growing up in a hostile world where the threats are everywhere, usually just out of sight. In her poem, "Can you See It?" a friend’s delusional grandmother believes she is surrounded by rats. Although the rats are imagined, the threat is quite real. Brooks says, "… For a moment, I know what it’s like to be her, emaciated and crazy, seen by everyone with pity and disbelief." This is the tone for much of the collection. Brooks examines threats of every order: chiggers, fear of loss, snakes, the evil eye, cancer, and rape, among others. Brooks seems to ask, what is the solution to living in fear of everything? The search for solutions leads, with questionable results, to Jesus and Mary, lots of pills, and perhaps a realization that while nothing may work well enough, you always have options to examine.