Relics and Rituals is a journey through the possibilities of experience and brings the mind to light as an uncharted frontier. Each poem, whether it be with the broad strokes of allegory immersed in personal quest or small epiphanies in slice-of-life portrayals, treats the human condition as an open question that begs examination and transforms the ordinary with leaps of intuitive exploration. Ultimately, Relics and Rituals, like much of Ross's work, touches on the psychological implications of humanity at large and uses the lens of verse and metaphor to illuminate the conditions we experience as a collective. We carry physical artifacts as evidence of our existence to mark our presence in time's continuum. We use habits of behavior and the rituals of daily life embedded in the passages of time to somehow help us cope with impermanence. But time goes forward . . . and the writer types faster . . . only leaving ellipses on the page . . .