The Exile's Papers: The face as its thousand ships

"What does it mean that a man loves a woman? Can a boy truly love a girl? How does a father love daughters? Does a penitent love, or fear, the Goddess? Does the servant love his mistress? Why must a son love his mother? And can a dog be a worthy companion? These are the questions that permeate The Exile's Papers, Part Two: The Face as Its Thousand Ships. Wayne Clifford, in this second of a four-part series, uses the sonnet to construct sequences of narrative, and offers single examples to illuminate epiphanous moments, all dealing with a man's love of, fear of, and confusion about the female element that enriches and constrains his life. Clifford continues to probe the emotional and intuitive substance of first love, the passage of daughters from childhood into the world, the mother's death, the Other perceived as Kali the Destroyer, the Lady who inspires the greening of our lives, and the girl who becomes the evanescent presence of the message she carries." --Book Jacket.