Summary

"Discharged." In this single-stanza, short-line poem, Nick describes how, on the day he is being discharged, he is awake early, thinking of April, re-reading the best parts of the book he just read, and reading his dad’s dictionary when his parents arrive.

"Driving Home." In this dialogue poem of a series of three stanzas, Nick and his parents drive home, asking to go to the library and get another book – the one that April told him is being read next in book club.

“Out of the Dust.” As this poem continues its title in a single-stanza sequence of short lines, it describes the contents of Nick’s new book, Out of the Dust, the story of a broken family in dustbowl Oklahoma.

"You dial April’s number." As this poem continues its title, Nick describes how, after a series of aborted...