The poems in ""The Downstairs Dance Floor"" are inhabited by family survivors - a father and mother widowed early, who in a second marriage made the best of their losses; the only child of that marriage; a distant uncle who devoted his life to music; a widowed stepfather in his declining years; others who, when the time comes, look for meaning in living alone. The other main character in this collection is, of course, Death. Using old family photos, letters, and anecdotes from friends and family members, the poet tries to imagine the unsatisfied dreams of those no longer able to tell their own stories.