Sit a Spell: Poems for the Restless is a modern Southern invitation to slow down, breathe deeper, and find yourself again in the quiet moments you've been rushing past.
In this deeply human, porch-sitting collection, Dylan Sims-veteran, wanderer, poet, and Mississippi son-writes with the steadiness of someone who's lived fast, burned out, and learned to listen differently. These poems speak to anyone who's tired of the noise, exhausted by pace, or aching for the kind of connection we keep losing in a world that never stops buzzing.
Here, stillness isn't a luxury-it's a lifeline.
Across four sections, Sims explores what it means to put your hurry down long enough for peace to catch up. He writes about the pull of home, the distance between people who love each other, the soft courage it takes to stay kind, and the grace we owe ourselves but rarely give. With a voice that is warm, grounded, and unmistakably Southern, he captures the small truths we feel but rarely say aloud: the weight we carry that isn't ours, the loneliness hiding behind our screens, the old memories that still shape us, and the simple ways life becomes bearable again when we slow down long enough to notice it.
These poems are not instructions. They're reminders.
Reminders to sit still.
To listen for what's real.
To let your breath match your body.
To give yourself the gentleness you keep giving to everyone else.
To remember that people need people-and we always have.
From tender observations to gut-honest reflections, Sit a Spell offers a kind of quiet companionship. It holds your shoulders, looks you in the eye, and says: You're human. Let that count for something.
Perfect for readers of Ross Gay, Morgan Harper Nichols, James Crews, Billy Collins, or anyone who needs a softer pace and a clearer heart, this collection is a steady porch light-warm, patient, and always left on.
Whether you read it in a single sitting or come back to it a few pages at a time, these poems meet you where you are. They remind you that rest isn't earned, connection isn't outdated, and peace-real peace-doesn't shout. It waits.
For the restless, the recovering, the hurting, the hopeful, and everyone learning how to slow down without feeling guilty for it, Sit a Spell is an invitation:
Take a minute.
Take your place.
Let the quiet do what it's been trying to do for years.
Come sit a spell.
You've earned it.
