Written during his wife's battle with breast cancer, "Beyond Despair" is a collection of poems seeking to reflect the obvious as well as the obscure. At once narrative, confessional, and lyrical - the first half deal with the disease head-on, touching upon the day-to-day struggle with the disease, while the second half evolves into metered rhyme - crossing temporal and geographical space to Ireland where husband and wife traverse the idyllic countryside. These two motifs weave the story of their very singular relationship, ultimately offering hope for a richer and more fruitful future. Told from a husband's point of view, the collection brings a perspective not often visited when dealing with this subject.