In Lewy’s Body by Vera Kewes Salter

The lyric poet, Gregory Orr writes, “Poetry is the thread that leads us out of the labyrinth of despair and into the light.” Vera Kewes Salter, in her debut chapbook, In Lewy’s Body, fully understands the crucial role poetry can play in ferrying one from the deep waters of extreme suffering to the shores of grief. In these moving, terse, unsentimental poems, Salter grapples with her beloved husband’s battle with Lewy Body Dementia and all the complexities that come along with becoming caregiver to a spouse and watching, helplessly, as your life partner slowly loses autonomy. Salter extends her empathy to both the speaker and her husband in these finely crafted lyrics, rich with metaphor. “And as the snow falls, we find a way to feed the birds.” This fine debut collection will be a comfort and a companion to anyone experiencing life-changing loss.

–Jennifer Franklin

Vera Kewes Salter‘s In Lewy’s Body is a remarkably candid and generous book. The poems collected here illuminate Salter’s experience as the wife and caregiver of a man who is slowly succumbing to Lewy Body Dementia. A man who forgets to eat and take his medications, hallucinates, and struggles to put on his own socks. All of this prompts Salter to ask the following question at the end of the very first poem in the collection: “How much is love and how much duty?” The nineteen poems that follow serve as her response. These poems delve into the hardships and dread of daily life, but also the small victories and moments of quiet tenderness. It is a profound privilege when a writer is willing to share such intimate details from her life. And we are all the more privileged because Salter’s poems are so carefully rendered and so deeply felt. I highly recommend this poignant collection.

–Corey D. Cook, author of The Weight of Shadows and Junk Drawer (Finishing Line Press)