"In caring for her mother before death, Mary Morris has moved a familiar subject forward with new beauty, truth, and humor. Morris is a storyteller, first and foremost, incredibly gifted in putting the heart to the word. Every incident on each page is an inimitable moment that makes the breath of dying different from any other's on earth. The poet writes, 'I try to get out of the way so the soul may draw near, but I keep tripping . get lost in my mother skirts.' These poems are part folklore, part history, part mysticism. You'll seldom see a relationship, at its emotional core, written so individually and so achingly. Never maudlin nor sentimental, Morris has raised the bar for possibilities between people.

I love a book that turns gravity into light, and I'm so glad we were invited in. Dear October should be a choice for 'Best of the Year.'" --Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate.