The poems in An Honest Hunger evince this kind of hunger for God, which is why they can't resist wisecracks, even about God, even in the midst of suffering—especially in the midst of suffering. The poems, in forms ranging from free verse to sonnets, arise from diverse topics and occasions—coming of age and aging, family, mortality, faith, doubt, cosmology, wildlife, small towns, marketing, poetry, organized religion, fishing, and gardening. At times poignant, at times buoyant, the collection risks irreverence for the sake of authentic reverence. As the poem "Big Weepy" explains: "Judgment Day is a big joke in the right light./The laughter knocks you down to your knees."