Readers will be amused, saddened, surprised, intrigued by Nowlan's acute observations on the human condition. These poems are rich in tenderness, humour and incisive irony which characterize the poet's view of this complex life. Nowlan's response to life's experiences may be frustration or fascination, but it always results in an engaging dialogue in which the reader is invited to participate. Though deeply personal, his poems deal with moments that are universal -- the pomposity of some academics, fearsome noises in an unfamiliar house, the ordinary day that ends in tragedy.