Before We Were Born

the long version

“Whether she tells of a lover’s body, childhood on a farm, a separation, or a trip to dentist, Carol Potter’s concern is human mystery. Giving equal weight to inner and outer landscapes, she evokes a woman’s memories, dreams, and sensual experience. The poems in this original first collection intimate, lyrical, quizzical, surreal. My favorite among them have the vulnerability and eroticism of skin.” —Joan Larkin “Potter’s unflinching recollection of a harsh rural childhood full of siblings, cows, chickens, and wonderment makes for arresting poems.” —Maxine Kumin “I admire the power of Carol Potter’s dry, dreamy, country voice, its joyful sexuality, its insights, its understated humor. This is an odd and shrewd and most valuable book.” —Jean Valentine