The startling poems in this debut collection are both pretty and strange, clear and mysterious. All of the poems are conversations, of sorts: a dancer talks to the floorboards; a dressing gown talks to itself; an old man talks to the radio in his sleep; men and women talk, and talk without talking. Joan Fleming’s empathetic imagination gives voice to the hidden conversations happening beneath our notice. This is a book about communication, connection, and the wisdom and beauty of ordinary things.