Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features. The poems in Beautiful Aches were created from 2021 through 2024, so some were written during the COVID pandemic and in small ways affirm the solace and comfort poetry affords in the face of dark, troubled times. “Why I Enjoy Sleep,” for example, attests to the way sleep can meld dream and memory into a unique personal pleasure. “The Sleeping Boat” uses sleep as a metaphor to honor centuries’ old insights developed by people who used close observation and interaction with the natural world as a means of survival, highlighting how “yesterday waits for tomorrow.” While several poems in Beautiful Aches center on sleep, others accentuate the beauty, power, and inspiration that can be found in plants, animals, and landscapes.