Seize

Book excerpt: "Seize is a standalone collection with distinct themes; at the same time, this work extends narrative and conceptual strands from my first book, Topaz. Seize explores the ongoing struggles and rewards that I-the central father-speaker in the book-face in raising a son with multiple disabilities, including epilepsy. The poems center on various dilemmas: How do my wife and I, as parents, adjust our expectations for a child with a disability? What impact does the stress and demands of raising Brendan have on our marriage? On family members? How do we navigate a culture that stigmatizes our son and others like him?"--