This is Vernon Scannell's first collection of poems to be published since The Black and White Days in 1996. Although he is one of Britain's most senior poets, this collection shows no diminution in the wit, technical skill, and sheer imagination and emotional range that characterize his work. In his new book, there are poems that celebrate the durability of love in its various manifestations, and others that revel in the lucid possibilities of language. A number of classical forms are employed, including the sonnet, villanelle, and sestina, but Scannell always maintains an easy, colloquial voice, even in the most eloquent and lyrical pieces.