<DIV><I>The Waiting Girl</I> explores the exterior and interior landscapes as they apply to identity, specifically celebrating the Appalachian South and Cape Cod. The poems in this collection carry readers from the cracked red earth of Georgia to the cobblestone streets of Nantucket. Through these bold environments, Ganaway delves into the nuances of mania and melancholia, illuminating the bittersweet nature of bipolar disorder, and raising awareness of this still largely misunderstood state of being.<BR><br> The Waiting Girl<BR><br> You best believe<BR> I am fit as a dandelion,<BR><br> facing the day<BR> in a crown of gold,<BR><br> my roots rough-hewn,<BR> knurled as a hand saw.<BR><br> And yet I wait,<BR> thrusting the frost,<BR><br> suckling the minutes<BR> until you see me.<BR><br> You placed your faith<BR> in a cloud of seedlings,<BR><br> not expecting this—<BR> this erect scattering<BR><br> like a thorned prayer,<BR> feckless, yours.<BR><br></div>