Beth- the keen and lovingly-unforgiving eye you turn to your subjects nearly blinds me. In your poems, and this one is an overwhelming example, you reach such a pinnacle of honesty that it seems, at times, like you are on the verge of piercing the sky so deeply that even god has to be careful lest a stray limb gets caught and cut. Thanks to this poem alone I would love to meet whom which was the source of your inspiration- how one person, so full of pain, can render the so very delicate skin of a loved one so vile- and that you can attach and detach so effectively as to be able to write this! Amazing! Sign me up to receive a copy of the book- my once-and-future selves will do well to learn from your observations.