Soliloquy to the Night Sky

What Others Say About Soliloquy to the Night Sky

Kathleen Gregg's poignant portrayal of her sister's descent into dementia displays the attentiveness only deep love can bring. In Gregg's deft hands, we experience Nancy's "beautiful exuberance" and the sisters' long tight bond as well as the growing space between them that's like "standing in a cave / hearing the last echoes." These poems transmit grief and fear but also a "rush of wonder" at the richness of natural and human worlds. This collection is an homage, finally, not to loss but to life.

—Libby Falk Jones, author of Enchanting the Ordinary: Poems & Photographs

The exquisite poetry in Kathleen Gregg's Soliloquy to the Night Sky lovingly portrays a bond between two sisters and what happens when one no longer remembers who she is. In tangible vignettes spanning a lifetime, Gregg recounts stories and moments that chronicle a connection so deeply felt it intertwines with their very identities. When Nancy develops dementia and "sorrow beats a fist on that blank wall," the poet grieves each poignant step toward forgetting. We watch dementia take a wrecking ball to memory and feel every blow striking the poet's heart. These tender poems might make you cry, but they also will make you feel transcendent love.

—Mike Wilson, author of Arranging Deck Chairs on The Titanic

Kathleen Gregg's newest poetry collection, Soliloquy to the Night Sky, is a brutally honest summation of the loving bond of sisterhood tragically fraying within the throes of dementia. The emotional rollercoaster of losing the security of one's 'Rock of Gibraltar' to seeing glimpses of the 'stand in mom' that still exists somewhere within, is heartwarming, heart wrenching and heart breaking all in the same ride. This collection is a must read for those who find themselves navigating the unpredictable world of loved ones with dementia. Its relevancy extends to all who, at times, find themselves struggling to accept living fully in each challenging moment. Open the book, turn the page and know that you are not alone.

—Wendy Jett, author of the trilogy Girl, Tainted, Woman

The End of Pretending

I feel Nancy hunt and hunt for words,
as if she is riffling through a box of loose photos.

Mostly she just gives up, spits out a laugh,
Well it's gone. I try to make light of it, fill in

the blanks, fall back on our inside jokes. That lifeline
is fraying (face it) from the weight of my furious grip.

Today, I attempt to reminisce about our cousins,
the big family gatherings. Her flat voice admits,

I don't know who they are. And I hear
the first goodbye.