“The stricken heart is hung out
to die on a talon hook”

// from "Ephemeris"

In sixteen poems, John A. Griffin dwells on love and what comes after love, from the perils of unreachable fantasy to the "rough edges" of doubt. The chapbook title calls to mind the work of countless other writers who have grappled with the opposing tropes encompassed by the theme of theme, among them Evelyn Douglas: “Love after love arises like a surge, / And sighs, and passes in the sigh away” (Sonnet L); for this is the great tradition of poetry. Its questions are never reconciled. Any poem of love balances its burden between two poles: the “for ever and ever” imagery of permanence, and the bloody reality of permanent loss, as when an affair runs its course, or a death brings life to an end.

After Love is the author's first chapbook. His work has appeared in publications including The Esthetic Apostle, Little Star, and Hawk & Whippoorwill.

Layout design by Kyle Giroux and Zachary Bos. The painting on the front cover is "Philosopher Reading" by Rembrandt, 1631.