Raw, tender, and contemplative…<\/b><\/p>\n
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 \u201cNature\u201d and \u201cChildhood\u201d to \u201cLove and Heartbreak\u201d and \u201cSelf-Reflection,” the book unfolds as a contemplative journey, where external landscapes echo internal truths.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Nature, in these poems, is not merely observed but inhabited. In the title poem, \u201cMoondust,\u201d the speaker describes \u201can infinitesimal moondust,\/ caught mid-flight within a crystalline flake\/ descending softly, without a hint of pause,\u201d transforming snowfall into something almost sacred. In \u201cOde to the Huge Oak Tree,\u201d acorns fall \u201clike tiny cannonballs,\/ where squirrels scamper\/ to claim their treasure trove,\u201d grounding the poem in tactile immediacy while hinting at nature\u2019s quiet power. These poems reveal a deep attentiveness to the physical world, where even the smallest details carry emotional weight.<\/span><\/p>\n Memory flows gently through the collection, particularly in the ‘Childhood’ section, where Steele reflects on familial bonds with understated tenderness. In \u201cThrow the Seatrout Back,\u201d a brief exchange\u2014\u201cToo small.\u201d\u2014captures an entire relationship, defined by restraint and quiet understanding. Similarly, \u201cPhotograph of Pop\u201d lingers on the fear that letting go of memory might mean \u201closing a part of myself,\u201d suggesting that remembrance is both anchor and burden.<\/span><\/p>\n Love, in its many forms, threads through the collection with a quiet intensity. In \u201cSparrow\u2019s Song,\u201d the speaker recalls a connection that once \u201cstitched the pieces of my heart,\u201d 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 \u201cBig Lies, Little Lies,\u201d the emotional core emerges through accumulation, culminating in the striking image of becoming \u201ca scab on your heart.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n As the collection turns inward, Steele\u2019s voice grows more contemplative. In \u201cThe House of Me,\u201d the body becomes a fragile structure, marked by \u201chairline fractures,\u201d while \u201cTake Me to the Sun\u201d reflects on legacy and meaning with stark vulnerability. These poems do not seek resolution; rather, they sit with uncertainty while allowing space for reflection.<\/span><\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n