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Review by Off the Shelf Correspondent Denise Provost

US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo has said that “grief is a lifelong lesson.” Poet Eileen Cleary, in her arresting collection 2 a.m. with Keats, writes of her own lessons in grief to notable effect. With lush imagery and restrained but powerful incantation, Cleary pays tribute to her friend and teacher, the late Lucie Brock-Broido, to whom this volume is dedicated, as well as to John Keats, who is explicitly invoked.

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Carolynn Kingyens’ debut book of poetry, Before the Big Bang Makes a Sound (Kelsay Books. 2020), can be ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, McNally Jackson and a few independent bookstores in NYC. In addition to poetry, she writes essays, book and film reviews, flash and short fiction. Carolynn resides in New York with her husband and two amazing daughters.

MassDOT, the MBTA, the City of Boston, the City of Somerville, the City of Malden, the Town of Brookline, the City of Revere, and the City of Lynn  announced a series of bus priority projects that will construct up to 4.8 miles of bus lanes and other pro-transit infrastructure upgrades across Metro Boston this summer to improve bus speed and reliability as the region re-opens from COVID-19-related regulations. These quick-build projects aim to address transit delay on some of the region’s most congested roadways in order to improve bus travel time and reliability, and move more people more efficiently to support economic recovery and public health.

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

By State Senator Pat Jehlen

Many people wrote and called in opposition to Governor Baker’s poorly-thought-out solution to the tragic epidemic of drowning deaths this summer.   These terrible losses should make us look urgently for solutions, but not every idea is a good one.

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— Photos by Claudia Ferro
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Despite the weather the City of Somerville was able to hold its annual Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration at Trum Field on Wednesday, June 30. The crowd enjoyed live entertainment with DJ Brother Cleve playing pop, soul, funk, and other classic tunes followed by Booty Vortex.

The City of Somerville’s Veterans’ Commission on Monuments, Memorials, and Dedications Committee is accepting applications for five positions – three to be filled by veterans. The commission will have charge and control of the construction of any memorial for a veteran and will have custody and care of the memorial after its construction. The commission, which will also develop policies and procedures to follow for dedicating memorials, will meet when needed to name these assets. Meetings are expected to begin in the fall of 2021.

City of Somerville offices will be closed Monday, July 5, in observance of Independence Day. Offices will reopen Tuesday, July 6.

Trash collection will follow a holiday week schedule.