Breathe Together: Conspiracy and Other Poems of the Plague Year

By Peri Dwyer Worrell

Breathe Together takes its title from the Latin root words of the word "conspiracy," which also gives the central poem its title. It is both deeply personal and universally relatable, and it speaks to the resilience and humanity of those who lived through complex losses and betrayals during these traumatic times. The language is both mystical and cerebral, with a strong sense of imagery, reflection,  and raw emotion. The collection is not only a meditation of the pandemic, familial lineage, insanity, and infidelity, but also the emotional journey of the poet. The reader can feel the pain, enchantment, and uncertainty that the poet feels. The poems are written in a variety of styles and forms, but they are united by a common thread of foreignness and vulnerability.

The poems addressing the pandemic capture the terror and uncertainty of living through a global crisis, as well as the moments of hope and connection that have helped people to get through it. The poems about insanity delve into the confusion and turmoil of watching someone you love losing their grip on reality even as the world seems to have lost its grasp on truth. Poems about becoming a grandmother reflect on the joys and sorrows of being far away while one's troubled child starts a family of their own, while contrasting with the discovery of infidelity and confronting the pain and betrayal of having one's trust broken.

Overall, Breathe Together is a powerful collection of poetry that delves into the complexities of human emotion during a time of calamity. It is a must-read for anyone who has been affected by the pandemic, struggled with mental health, become a grandmother, or experienced infidelity. It is a reminder that amid difficult times we can still find hope, connection and healing by breathing together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Peri Dwyer Worrell
• Release date: Jan 31, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215242421

Peri Dwyer Worrell

Peri Dwyer Worrell grew up the daughter of poor performing artists on a predominantly Puerto Rican street in Manhattan in the 1970s. From this, she gained a keen appreciation of the value of diversity, tolerance, and taking no crap from anyone. She dabbled in poetry and copy editing in her teens and early twenties, but her love of math and science and her ability to make people feel better by putting her hands on them led her, instead, into the profession of chiropractic, which she practiced for twenty-eight years in North Florida, where she reconnected with her Southern roots. When her wrists disintegrated, rendering her unable to practice chiropractic, she took that as a sign that she should return to her first love: the written word. Besides short stories and novels available here, she writes poetry blogs about her travels copy edits scientific research articles on a freelance basis, and watches a lot of sunsets. She is married and has four grown children.

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