Sketches

True to the title, these poems offer brief, sensitive portraits of people the poet has known in two cities of her choosing--Pittsburgh and Albuquerque. From girls of the street to husbands and wives to loners in the neighborhood, from the occasional artist to a real live realist, the author shows her respect for individuals, her curiosity as to their thoughts, and her faith in their survival, enriching the reader's perceptions as well.

With an ear for dialect and spoken voice, plus a fierce yet compassionate eye for detail, Maisha Baton cuts individual portraits of people . . . amassing a collection that spans universal concerns of race and place, disenfranchisements and resilience, a collection in which 'God wears many faces' and we get to read them.--Lisa Gill

Every person in this book, as in the world, is irreplaceable and rich with the mysteries and contradictions of their choices and their fates.--V. B. Price