If I Settle Down...

"What I find most compelling about Charles Cross's poetry is his profound relationship with words, his ability to stitch together exquisite images the way a talented quilter brings together pieces of fabric to create something endearing and warm, full of life and history. With his words, Cross plunges us into a world of coonhounds and bothersome flies, revolution, and a timeless sense of place in the Appalachian mountains. His poetic style is rooted in the classics in both form and content, yet Cross manages to breathe new energy into his dreams of Bacchus and gutterpunk, old farmhouses and pecan pie. The final piece, "Joyous Occasion," hits beautifully hard against the deepest well of emotions in this collection. It is Cross's homage to his grandmother that brings the reader back to ground, a kind of ineluctable melancholy that reminds us that good poetry always starts with the life experiences that strike deep into the soul." -Michael Briggs, English Lecturer at East Tennessee State University