ltpgtSet at the crossroads of middle age Benjamin S Grossbergsampnbspfourth fulllength collection of poems ltemgtMy Husband Wouldltemgt investigatesampnbsplove and familyboth the families we are born into and those we createampnbspfor ourselves Funny cinematic and inventive his poems recount familyampnbsplorea mothers options the clouded circumstances of a distantampnbspmarriageside by side with the perplexities of contemporary romance Andampnbspthey are charged with the recent national legalization of samesexampnbspmarriagefor many a radical dawning of possibility even as it quicklyampnbspbecomes uncontroversial even unremarkable in large parts of theampnbspcountry These poems show us that marriage and family are a learnedampnbspproject one passed down to be attempted by each new generation as bestampnbspit can with the realities at hand Grossberg surveys the strangeness ofampnbspwhat our parents and families teach us about intimacy and what weampnbspourselves learn as we stumble through the landscape of contemporaryampnbspdating He finally casts his gaze to future possibility what we wouldampnbspbe would do if we could As Grossberg notes amid the bustle of ourampnbsplives the relationships that help us understand who we are those losses and discoveries begin with the simplest impulses like quottheampnbspcourage to go up and say helloquotltpgt
