Foley’s latest collection of poetry searches for beauty, hope, and love in the face of personal and global tribulations.

In the title poem, the speaker observes the pastoral beauty of starlit winter snow while ruminating on the warming climate that will one day melt it away. She wonders, as she “sled[s] and snowshoe[s] through cold winter days,” whether her well-meaning actions—composting, recycling, eating a meat-free diet—are enough to “please” the Earth and “ease the anxiety” of the young people who will inherit the planet. She notes that “oblivion” lies ahead but, as suggested through steady tercets, seems to have made a kind of peace with that; perhaps she trusts younger activists of the world to take over in her generation’s stead. Though eclectic in subject matter, many poems in this collection echo the titular entry in their balance of the personal with the global, often with the Covid-19 pandemic looming in the background. In turn, the speaker tends to hold the good and the bad at once, describing what she sees in affectingly clear language, as if she were relaying scenes from her life to a manufacturer of peculiarly realistic snow globes. In “The Croissant,” homemade pastries with jam are eaten on “days made tasteless by isolation.” In “Corona Spring,” it snows outside the window while the speaker’s wife, a central figure in the collection, waits for her next cancer treatment. The speaker’s wisdom and positivity grow more palpable from reading the poems in succession; she’s well acquainted with weariness, grief, and loneliness, yetshe never fails to point out the beautiful thing that’s shining in the corner. Readers wary of unsolicited comfort from strangers can rest assured that this collection doesn’t fancy itself a salve for the bereaved. It may, however, inspire readers to take stock of the things for which they’re grateful.

These poems, grounded in the present moment, expertly balance individual and collective experiences.