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The Halo Rule (Elixir Press, 2008), winner of the Elixir Press Editors' Prize.
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About The Halo Rule "With robust language and sharp wit, Teresa Leo takes up the struggle to make something durable of human desire. The 'grievous infractions' of her title poem result from the refusal to respect rules of engagement: in sport, in love. Depictions of intimacy’s trusts and betrayals – 'We’re flatlined, sandblasted,/ pummeled, untoward' – deracinate romance; a series of poems that includes 'Narcissists Anonymous' showcases Leo’s nimble welding of classical myth and popular culture. Read The Halo Rule for its original metaphors and frank evocations of women and men in extremis, grappling with appetite, connection, and disconnection."
"Teresa Leo’s powerfully visceral poems evoke a life in a maelstrom of vulnerability and rage. They limn the dark side of the irresistible, of love’s bad choices, where no 'halo rule' (a football rule designed to protect the vulnerable receiver) exists to save the speaker and her lover from 'our most grievous infractions.' In this way, Leo finds language for what in many relationships remains unspoken."
"Teresa Leo’s The Halo Rule possesses an experimental texture that is underscored by the real, the everyday. The reader is transported by the numerous twists and turns embedded in each poem, propelled by a music that is basic, believable, and fantastic. The Halo Rule is a labyrinth of moods, circles within circles, where a seemingly familiar figure of speech can take a leap and turn into a delectable surprise."
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Book Cover Art: Virtue #8, by Judith Schaechter, Stained glass, 34” x 31”, 2003.