Wilderness

Wilderness is a collection of poems chronicling a family's transition from conflict into peace. The structure is free-verse poetry. Written in various points of view, the work uses quotes from The Pilgrim's Progress for names of poems, epigraphs, and section titles. Wilderness has two major parts. The first section deals with the rising dysfunction before the family gives their wounds to God. Marriage stress, mental illness, an absent father, and troubled childhoods create deep complications in this blended family. The central character is the wife/mother, who attempts to manage herself and her home. The second half is marked by these characters undergoing the messy transition into health and spiritual healing. Delving into the inner workings of an American family, Wilderness seeks to excavate a damaged past for the purpose of embracing restoration.