Bodies & Words is an exploration of male-female relationships at different stages of life. The poems range from the frustrations and surprises of early adolescence to the adjustments of early relationships, the desires and anxieties of middle age, and the wisdom and acceptance of later years. Along the way, these poems challenge gender stereotypes about love, women, marriage, desire, infidelity, and aging. The title refers to a Joyce Carol Oates story quotation: "In love, there are two things: bodies and words. The words go along with certain bodies, sometimes the name of those bodies, their 'names,' and sometimes the words those bodies exclaim." The book examines this rather cryptic message by investigating the labels we use to define ourselves and others and the relationships between us. From the opening poem, "Rock Gate Park," nothing is what it seems-love is cruel rather than tender and just as much a desire for dominance as a yearning for the beloved. Early relationships are unstable and based on fantasy; later relationships are also unstable, but bear the weight of guilt and disappointment. The collection leaves us questioning whether men and women ever truly see each other as what they really are.
