Math Campers

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A father and husband's meditation on love, adolescence, and the mechanisms of poetic creation unfolds through the stages of poetry's evolution—from dreams and memories to drafts and completed works. In "Must We Mean What We Say," a woman narrates the circumstances surrounding poems she receives from a stranger, exploring the interplay between reader and poet across silence and mystery. Chiasson, an acclaimed poetry critic and father of teenage sons, continues the autobiographical journey from his previous works. One section reflects on the age of thirteen and the emergence of desire, while the title poem addresses the critical age of fifteen, grappling with the existential threats of climate change and gun violence that reshape adolescence. Despite the bleak outlook, the poems celebrate the glories of the present: safe spaces for boys to express affection, supportive small communities, and the activism of teenagers striving for a better world. These works arise from a father's secretive imagination as he compares his own adolescence to that of his sons and delves into the complexities of marriage. Chiasson portrays a perilous world enriched by passionate youth and the caring parents and poets who nurture them.