In the inventive series on the paranormal, which includes “Instructions for Constructing an Alien Abduction,” the theme of strength in crisis returns through the imperative voice that had previously given advice:

Meitner provides yet another instance of tension between the knowledge that females are disproportionately subjected to violence and the fact that everyday life (“traveling alone”) must continue. In considering the occasion worthy of cautious “celebration,” she emphasizes that pain or injustice can be faced with courage. In the closing line, her speaker signals the will to make her presence known. Much like the girl whose throat unfurled with “threats and questions” and Cottin, whose “muscular force” attests to her appealing resolve, there is no apologetic stance.

The third section of the book widens in scope. Entitled “domestic spasm,” the last group of poems features reflections on dating, engagement, wedding registries, and other topics. Nearly all of these provide counterpoints to earlier poems that are punctuated by tense, if not outright forceful, scenarios. Some readers may question the conventional choice to end with poems that lead toward marriage, but the poet avoids presenting marriage as a formulaic, upbeat resolution or as a quick balm for past trauma. The adults in these poems arrive at love from a clear-eyed vantage: “Love colored with sidewalk chalk / won’t make it through the next rain” (“Engagement,” p. 64). They embrace it with full consideration of its challenges, and in doing so, demonstrate a hard-won emotional maturity that acknowledges setbacks.

Despite poems rooted in precarious circumstances, Makeshift Instructions for Vigilant Girls does not dwell on lamentation. There is little undue voyeurism, and with rare exceptions, nearly each instance of harm is accompanied by a determined refusal to let it hinder the speakers’ lives. Female experiences, both everyday and exceptional, comprise a collection that has portrayed a “broken / hymn” (p. 79) riven with light.