Abstract
Plunging deep into the soul, Sally Ito renders a spiritual examination like no other in her new poetry collection, Alert to Glory. With this cohesive meditation of creativity, motherhood and poetry, Ito discerns spiritual gifts in daily acts of raising children and writing. Her images tie in to profound moments with clear, fearless language: a clematis vine ceases to exist when the speaker is distracted by a poem her first child. Im the poem, he says./Look at me! Childrens teeth falling out, the endless exhaustion of mothers work, and the sight of an old baby carriage connect to deeper insights.