Emerging from the expanse of bewildered mourning, Su Croll’s third collection, Cold Metal Stairs, is a timely lament for those who wander deep into the mists of failing memory, and for those who are left behind, waiting. With profound care, Croll breaks open the quiet conversations happening across the nation about dementia by bringing readers to her father’s bedside to witness his final years, months, hours, and the days that follow. Tender and aching, Croll’s verse confronts the imperfect, heart-rending act of remembering the moments, and ghosts, that linger.