Sun-Up, and Other Poems

Lola Ridge’s debut collection opens with a fierce, tangled dedication that drifts between whispered grief and vivid, almost tactile images. The verses pulse with the restless energy of an early‑morning city—bright cherries on a hearth, wind‑swept alleys, and the echo of a grandmother’s sigh—while the speaker’s voice shifts from intimate lullaby to sharp, confrontational chant. The poems blend mythic fragments and everyday details, creating a dream‑like landscape where shadows hover over cradles and firelight flickers across cracked windows.

Through fragmented monologues and lyrical snapshots, the work explores the turbulence of childhood memory, the lingering presence of absent fathers, and the stubborn resilience of women who hold families together. Ridge’s language is both lush and jagged, moving from the delicate scent of “unused air” to the sudden violence of a hand grasped by hair. Listeners will feel the electric charge of a city that never sleeps, the ache of longing, and the quiet hope that rises with each new sunrise.