Welcome to Hard Times

Welcome to Hard Times focuses on the difficulties of living in an unjust society. Many of the poems address the disturbing emotional conflicts that arise when individuals have to deal with catastrophic changes to their way of life, such as job losses. The complex, sociopolitical issues of class, ethnicity, gender and family relationships (often dysfunctional) are examined. Existential questions regarding identity also come into play. Despite the bleak subject matter, this collection of poems, as it is heavily spiked with black humor, offers a surprisingly hopeful and optimistic view on the human condition in the 21st century. In Mary Melfi’s world comedy and tragedy continuously interact, resulting in a blended narrative, dark, truthful, and at times, funny.