We Swallow(ed) Spiders in our Sleep is a well-designed chapbook that contains thirty-four powerful poems by Zachary C. Bush. There is no sloppiness or self-indulgence to Zachary’s poems. Every word is chosen and placed with brilliant precision. Zachary’s genius lies in his ability to finely craft his poems without sacrificing the meat and blood that draw readers in. Although the majority of Zachary’s poems are not readily accessible, they lack condescension and pretension. Rather, his poems make no apology for their intelligence and unique insights.

In the title poem, Zachary makes the grotesque beautiful and sensual. He avoids cliches in lines that illustrate the painful ambiguities of a romance. The poem pulses with poignancy.

In Drowning on Floral Print, one of the more personal poems in the collection, Zachary writes about overdosing on the Fourth of July. Zachary relates the horrible sadness of one of the worst moments of his life without self-pity. It’s his true life, but it is also a poem. That is what makes Zachary’s poems so great. His poems do not read like diary entries hastily scribbled out in a self-indulgent stupor. Even when retelling his most deeply personal anecdotes, Zachary is always careful with his craft. Zachary C. Bush cares about his poems. Read his poems and you’ll care, too.

put stars and irises all around this:
sobbing on the phone with your younger brother
because he has schizophrenia and a truck that won’t drive
and he can’t hold down a job
and the only peace he feels is when he is alone in a pasture
and he called everyone in the family before calling
to cry on your shoulder
because he knows in your way
you are as fragile as he is

add a yawning kitty cat and a sunbeam
to make this pretty and poetically sound:
sobbing with sorrow and hunger and rage
and feeling a fetus protest in your uterus
and telling your unborn child
that everything is okay
as you choke on tears and mucus
and pace around your apartment
trying to calm yourself down

make this vague
make this acceptable
wanting to kill for your family
steal from the blind for your family
do whatever it takes for your family
so that there will be
bread
pillows
birthday cake
air conditioning
and maybe once
in a great while
a drive to santa fe
for a few hours of escape
eating tacos
drinking beer
watching the world in a haze
that isn’t
hell

~Misti Rainwater-Lites