The Sum of Two Mothers

With loving thanks to the mothers in my life: Susan & Sondra (familial), Margy (adoptive), and Carrie (spousal). With familial thanks to DeAnn and Tom, Carl, Sarah, Martha, Joy, Ron, and Luanne and Tom. With many thanks to Joe Harrington and Hadara Bar-Nadav for their mentorship, friendship, help with the poems that sparked this collection, and for their endless dedication to people. With grateful thanks to the editors who reeled in some of these poems: Julia Cohen, Bin Ramke, Jennifer A. Luebbers, Cate Lycurgus, Deborah Kim, and Geoffrey Gatza. With brotherly thanks to Kevin Rabas, for his letters and support, and for being like a real brother. With friendly thanks to some real friends: Ben Cartwright, Leslie Von Holten, Jennifer Pacioianu, Melanie Burdick, and Sarah Smarsh. With deepest thanks to the mentors who really continue mentoring: Tom Averill, Amy Fleury, Li-Young Lee, Elizabeth Dodd, Donna Potts, Susan Jackson-Rogers, and Laura Moriarty. With a poetic thanks to CA Conrad, Kristin Prevallet, Lyn Hejinian, Travis and JenMarie Macdonald, Amy King, and Sandra Simonds for keeping poetry real. With collegial thanks to Danny Wade, Sharon Sullivan, the Department of English, and everyone at Washburn University for their support—especially my students who keep me real. With a Topekan thanks to Leah Sewell, Tom Kennedy, Laura Burton, Matt Beneka, Sara O'Keeffe, the great people at PT's at College Hill, Juli's, the YWCA and its Center for Safety and Empowerment, seveneightfive, I DO, XYZ, NOTO, and the other people who keep Topeka real. With a Lawrencian thanks to Judy Roitman, Jim McCrary, Megan Kaminski, Billie Joe Harris, Brian Daldorph, Denise Low-Weso, and the other poets there who keep Lawrence real. With a literary thanks to the Woodley Staff, especially Larry and Linda McGurn, who keep books made in Kansas real. With a Kansan thanks to Julie Mulvihill, the board, and everyone at Kansas Humanities Council who help keep the humanities in Kansas alive and real. With ecstatic thanks to Ariana Den Bleyker for taking in the manuscript, and for all of the work she does in building real poetic communities. With warmest thanks to you, for real.