Advent Calendar Day 17 - November 28
Cover reveal for Life Lines—poems by Beatrice J. Krauss
Enjoy this excerpt from the new collection by the wickedly wry—and intensely hearfelt—author of Strong Medicine. Coming Spring 2026.
Remember, this and all our titles are 25% off through this weekend. Just use code TAMALE25 at checkout.
Praise for Life Lines
“Life Lines casts a lifespan of poems, conveying Beatrice Krauss’ lyrical, embodied knowledge of music, dance, love, loss, and finding joy wherever and whenever it is possible.”
—Carol Kerr, co-author of Not the Trip We Planned
From a Dream: The Vending Machine
I selected L2 from the vending machine—
Patience with soft voice and felt hat—
but down came Humility so difficult
to pull from the slot and unwrap.
It tasted like lifetimes and galaxies,
tiny villages below folds in the map.
All day I listened to prattling birds
and neighbors unwrapping their grief.
I put out apples and seeds for both
knowing how deep, how insufficiently.
I posted overseas soft looks, schoolbooks,
along with medicines, livestock, and socks.
At night the walls whispered you have so much
and the carpet crept under my feet.
The morning puzzled over a closet so full,
linens and blankets so soft.
Then the bed said there is room for two;
Will Love come down from L3?
Read more of these poems in LIFE LINES, the forthcoming collection from Beatrice J. Krauss.
Preorder this book—and browse our entire bookstore—at 25% off through this weekend.
About the Author
Beatrice J. Krauss is the author of Strong Medicine. She is a retired professor of public health at the City University of New York School of Public Health and Health Policy and is currently a designated campus colleague in the Psychology Department at the University of Arizona. HIV prevention was her area of specialty. She has played harp regularly at Casa de la Luz Hospice in Tucson, Arizona, as well as with symphonies and ensembles in various states. Poetry, dance, and harp give her joy. She lives in Tucson.