Ruefman's volume, Sleep Bringer, is raggedly emotional, humane, and accessible. Interrogating themes of parenthood, child loss, and disillusionment with the world around him, these poems journey to some desperate existential places as he, "the sleep bringer," seeks to keep his children safe in dangerous world where newborn infants can die inexplicably. Through these poems, this collection engages compassionately with frailty and loss, while still maintaining a generosity of spirit.
