If mercy were a person, how would she keep up
with the demands of a world that needs so much
of her attention? In this series of poems, we find
Mercy trying her best to be merciful. More often
than not, she ends up overwrought, a little dark,
sometimes cheeky, even selfish and vain at
times. Between a Prologue and Epilogue, the
book follows the natural arc of the 13 attributes
of mercy, a biblical formula for compassion and
forgiveness. Each poem explores one attribute
of mercy—from the first, being merciful before
a person does anything wrong, to the last,
washing away sins through pardon.