Dream of the Bird Tattoo

In this brilliantly rendered collection—the author’s fourth—Juan J. Morales explores love and grief after the death of his father. Morales weaves his father’s personality, his childhood in Puerto Rico, and his service in the US military with his own interest in life after death. In these poems he guides the reader through ghost hunts, conversations with mediums, a series of dreams in which he and his father work through his father’s crossing over together, and his ultimate acceptance of this monumental loss. Dream of the Bird Tattoo beautifully showcases how our loved ones continue to live on in our memories and actions.

Juan J. Morales is an assistant professor of English at Colorado College. He is the author of three other books of poetry, including The Handyman’s Guide to End Times: Poems (UNM Press). He lives in Pueblo, Colorado.