In each of the three sections of this book is a prose poem meant to be read aloud in which a character, interacting with other characters, is named for a quality. They are Beauty, Happiness, and Patience. The author is strong on parables: “Parable of Divas,” “Parable of the Chicken Wing,” “Parable of Ancestors,” “Parable of Kings & Queens,” and “Sugar, or Parable on Liberals.” We find the characters in this book in beauty salons, in a tornado, on a porch, and in various locations where discuss and interact with one. another. The author’s style is interestingly unique. Troubled Tongues was the winner of the 2006 Naomi Long Madgett Poetry Award.