Raw, tender, and contemplative…
Steele traces the subtle intersections between nature and the human condition in her latest book, a luminous collection of short poems. Separated into thematic movements that range from “Nature” and “Childhood” to “Love and Heartbreak” and “Self-Reflection,” the book unfolds as a contemplative journey, where external landscapes echo internal truths.
Nature, in these poems, is not merely observed but inhabited. In the title poem, “Moondust,” the speaker describes “an infinitesimal moondust,/ caught mid-flight within a crystalline flake/ descending softly, without a hint of pause,” transforming snowfall into something almost sacred. In “Ode to the Huge Oak Tree,” acorns fall “like tiny cannonballs,/ where squirrels scamper/ to claim their treasure trove,” grounding the poem in tactile immediacy while hinting at nature’s quiet power. These poems reveal a deep attentiveness to the physical world, where even the smallest details carry emotional weight.
Memory flows gently through the collection, particularly in the ‘Childhood’ section, where Steele reflects on familial bonds with understated tenderness. In “Throw the Seatrout Back,” a brief exchange—“Too small.”—captures an entire relationship, defined by restraint and quiet understanding. Similarly, “Photograph of Pop” lingers on the fear that letting go of memory might mean “losing a part of myself,” suggesting that remembrance is both anchor and burden.
Love, in its many forms, threads through the collection with a quiet intensity. In “Sparrow’s Song,” the speaker recalls a connection that once “stitched the pieces of my heart,” only to unravel in absence.The poems resist melodrama, instead favoring small, piercing images (gestures that reveal more than declarations). Even in heartbreak, as in “Big Lies, Little Lies,” the emotional core emerges through accumulation, culminating in the striking image of becoming “a scab on your heart.”
As the collection turns inward, Steele’s voice grows more contemplative. In “The House of Me,” the body becomes a fragile structure, marked by “hairline fractures,” while “Take Me to the Sun” reflects on legacy and meaning with stark vulnerability. These poems do not seek resolution; rather, they sit with uncertainty while allowing space for reflection.
Steele honors the overlooked textures of daily life, drawing meaning from fleeting moments and quiet observations. Her style is spare yet evocative, and her lines brief, as she invites silence between thoughts. Her metaphors arise naturally, never forced, and her language remains grounded even when reaching toward the abstract. The book, ultimately, is a meditation on presence and on the ways we inhabit the world and ourselves.
A quiet, thoughtful collection that reminds readers that beauty, grief, and understanding often reside in the smallest, most fleeting moments.
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Pub date March 6, 2026
KBS Publishing
ISBN 978-1763588387
Price $12.00 (USD) Paperback, $4.99 Kindle edition
