Leo Connellan has retained his soul and voice in Provincetown and Other Poems.

Poetry is not a way of saying things; it's a way of seeing things.

Already old, the question Who shall die? Becomes unspoken Who is innocent?

But with exquisite breathing you smile, with satisfaction of love, And I touch you again as you tick in the silence and settle in sleep.

The body, what is it, Father, but a sign To love the force that grows us, to give back What in Thy palm is senselessness and mud?

Laughter and grief join hands. Always the heart Clumps in the breast with heavy stride; The face grows lined and wrinkled like a chart, The eyes bloodshot with tears and tide. Let the wind blow, for many a man shall die.

The good poet sticks to his real loves, to see within the realm of possibility. He never tries to hold hands with God or the human race.