The Half-Life
 
 

Contents
 
The Half-Life of Sorrow 11
 
I.   Body Dreams
 
Sliding Doors 15
Should You Ever Leave Unanswered 16
Body Dreams 16
Double Suicide 20
Giving 22
  Blue and Yellow 24
Arms and the Woman 26
Actions and Answers 27
History 28
In the Pines 30
Trolley 32
Islands in Harbors 34
1 A-M One Me 35
 
II.   Home on the Range
 
Night 41
The Empty Seat 42
“Acknowledgments” 43
Someone 44
The Address Book 45
Tough Tortellini 47
On Terms 48
Swallows (Uppsala) 38
Lightning and the Echo of Lightning 50
As the Temperature Drops, the Air Releases Its Voice 52
Episode 55
First Night Warm Weather 56
Sounding 58
Home on the Range 59
Music Building, University of Toronto 61
 
III.   Open Water
 
Relief 65
The Sentence 66
Lesson 67
On the Beach at Nice 68
French Doors 69
Old Town 70
Loss 72
Norway 74
The Longing 75
A Stranger Takes Photos from a Boat 76
Their Lives 77
Passerby 78
Conversation 79
Six Feet above Sea Level 80
Among the Grasses 81
Open Water 82
Noon Concert 84
A Crossing 85
Evening Raga 86
Dilation 90
 
Notes 93
Acknowledgments 95