Realignment is an extended meditation on the human condition, shifting perspective from poem to poem to embody a variety of cultural milieus. A disruption in morning ritual realigns one’s day. A painter switching brushes realigns his style. A break in syntax corresponds with an abrupt change of pattern in an Afghan carpet. Like “a gentle winding down,” the poems in Realignment address the self- understanding brought on by changing memories of the past and, ultimately, the realignment of removal, vanishing, and farewell consume the heart of the book. Ruth Roach Pierson has taught women’s history, feminist, European and post-colonial studies and since retiring in 1980, has published three poetry collections: Where No Window Was, Aide-MÔemoire, a Governor General Literary Award for Poetry finalist in 2008, and CONTRARY. Ruth currently resides in Toronto, Ontario.