Mercury In The Eighth A Lyrical Rebirth Through Shadow, fire, and the Stars that Remember.

by KEN. MERCHANT

What do we bury to survive - and what rises when we speak? In Mercury in the Eighth , poet Ken Merchant returns to his truest voice with a collection that explores transformation, longing, and the luminous weight of memory. Written through the lens of emotional astrology, personal myth, and lyrical confession, these poems chart a course through grief, desire, identity, and resurrection. Structured in three distinct sections - Shadows and Retrogrades , Natal Fire , and Return to Self - the collection mirrors a kind of cosmic cycle. From the ache of unspoken truths and the wreckage of old selves, to the fiery spark of becoming and the steady orbit of healing, Merchant invites readers into a space where language becomes both spell and mirror. Whether he's speaking to the ghost of a former love, mythologizing a moment of joy, or exhuming the raw complexity of mental health, every poem is rooted in deep emotional clarity. The result is a book that feels both intensely personal and universally resonant - a poetic chart for those learning to name themselves after silence. Perfect for readers of Ocean Vuong, Yrsa Daley-Ward, or Ada Limón, Mercury in the Eighth is for anyone navigating what it means to return home to the body, to the truth, and to the self. Inside this collection, you'll find: Lyrical poems that blend confession with cosmic metaphor An honest exploration of identity, trauma, and queer selfhood Themes of grief, transformation, survival, and emotional rebirth Section epigraphs inspired by astrology and psychological cycles A voice that speaks to both the poetic and the raw If you've ever felt like a constellation undone, a sentence half-buried, or a story waiting to be claimed - this book is for you.

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