Adiabatic Flame by Shari Crane Fox

Adiabatic Flame explores the intersections between love and death in its many forms. Like the term “adiabatic,” which refers to a reaction where heat is not exchanged with the environment, the emotional combustion is acted out, but largely unspoken. The natural world reflects this inner conflict, as well as the transience of relationships and life throughout the work. The pieces explore loving, losing, and loving again with startling metaphor, intimate revelations, and humor. The final poem culminates in a playful encounter with Death, personified as an alluring woman in designer shoes, who, over drinks, confides a reluctance to end the lives of newlyweds and the owners of new puppies. Death decides to buy the narrator a drink, delaying the inevitable unnamed. In a collection containing multiple contest winners and a Best of the Net nominee, Adiabatic Flame navigates the intersections of love and death with raw vulnerability and ironic humor.