David Rivard's new collection describes the many powers - psychological and historical - that flow through people's lives and explores a vast range of contemporary and fundamental issues, including faith, greed, pleasure, celebrity, gossip and consolation. 'For those of us who need it,' one poem asserts, 'instruction is everywhere.' Full of unsettling humour and the careening movement of memory and imagination, Rivard's poetry will strike a chord with many readers.