Remnants of a Life

Remnants of a Life is a collection of ninety-five poems where the author reflects on the first sixty-five years of his life and the abuse he endured and survived. "In this volume, Herrmann invites readers to follow him across the rolling plains and dark roads of Kansas, encountering creatures wild, tame, or something in between. One of the beasts in the book, the "incognitum," is long extinct. Most are more familier - rabbits, birds, and even mosquitoes - but seen from new perspectives. The most freightening creatures in these poems, though, are human. "Herrmann wrote some of the poems after his mother'd death, as a way to process that experience. Others were written to document and re-examine earlier incidents from that fraught relationship. They are shared in hopes that those with similar experiecnes might be reassured they are not alone. "Remnants of a Life explores the shodows we ususally keep hidden, as well as the beauty of the natural world and life on the plains. With a view of prairie grass and endless sky as its backdrop, the book is ultimately hopeful; a testament to the power of words to help us survive difficulties, and a reminder that spring always returns."