The Smell of Purple (Paperback)

85 of Donall Dempsey's poems about his daughter's early years of exploration of the world and her own perceptions are presented here. Tilly's early awakening awareness of herself and her surroundings were a constant delight to Donall and though he was not then writing, in these poems he has recovered that feeling of surprise and privilege that he had when watching his little daughter's sense of reasoning and connection with her world as she grew up beside him. These poems are moving, funny, spiritual and observant, by turns and sometimes simultaneously. This is a collection to read over and over, to find with Donall and Tilly the sense of discovering the world anew. "Once again we become blind with the seeing of the poet ... become, essentially, children ourselves in the perfectly-visioned childhood perspective of this delightful collection. " John W. Sexton