Between the Doors

Between the Doors is a collection of forty-one intense, tightly crafted and highly lyrical poems. Most of the poems in this book have been performed by this Philadelphia poet for many kinds of audiences. They are configured here for the printed page but are meant for the ear. Whether spoken in the quiet of the mind, or rendered aloud to another person or group of people, the lines of these poems call for listening, word by word, with attention to each phrase and to the silences between. Many of the poems were written in 2003 and 2004 against the backdrop of the Iraq War, the build-up and the beginning of the horror. The book is a prayer for peace. This is an intimate work. Every poem is a love poem, each word a gift. As poet Alexandra Grilikhes has said of Susan Windle's work, "Her simple, clear lines will stay with you a long time. Do not understand them too quickly."