Carey's second full-length collection traces the arterial pathways of the poet's past, mapping the vital currents that pulse between memory, perception, and identity. Anchored in place yet mindful of time's fluidity, the poems in BLOODSTREAM traverse Carey's Southern roots in Florida and North Carolina, moving through Alaska and beyond as the poet cycles between past and present, faith and doubt, while exploring the power of language to illuminate such contrasts. The poems elegize lost loved ones, including pets, which serve as a lens through which to examine attachment, loss, and unconditional love. The poet reflects on broader natural ecosystems, including histories of specific flora and fauna, and her place within them. Whether investigating pigment structures, the nature of desire, or family heritage, Carey consistently contemplates language itself, asserting poetry's essential role in witnessing life's complexities while exploring how perception shapes consciousness and memory.
