Armin Tolentino

We Meant to Bring It Home Alive Armin Tolentino

From astronauts drifting lost through space to whalers hauling dragon weight through dark waters to fossil hunters of the 19th-century Bone Wars, the voices within this poetry collection all seek one uniting thing: connection. The epic sweep of Moby Dick meets Space Age exploration inside the lyrics of Bowie songs on the cusp of an apocalypse, all within the forgotten dreams of a fisherman or a whaler or a devil-dodger or a lizard man. Exploring distance, forgiveness, disconnection, and regret, the speakers-regardless of their fantastical or absurd situations-are simply people severed from their loved ones, their gods, their faith, or what they once believed was true about the world. They confront their doubts by flinging letters out into the darkness, relying on answers that never come. Feeble efforts. Messages in bottles. Prayers and apologies. But still each is hoping someone, something is listening across the expanse.