by Ed Hack (Author)
An intense and focused collection of sonnets, Then Gone explores with riveting attention the most ordinary moments of daily life with great faithfulness and finds discoveries most of us drift past without ever noticing. "A random sampling of ten of my sonnets," Ed Hack writes in his preface, "shows that the number of words per poem varies from 107 to 126, with the most ranging from 112 to 120 or fewer words to create a convincing emotional or intellectual moment that is complex, clever, nuanced, and powerful. Memorable. The sonnet, certainly as Shakespeare used and developed it, is a layered close-up of a human experience. That is the challenge that I wanted, the tradition I wanted to be a part of, the wall I wanted to lean against." It's a demanding challenge, and these poems are a testament to how honestly and generously he has met it.