The poems of Marie Baléo, LA ’10, articulate dignity, admiration, and a profound kinship for Beirut, Lebanon. On September1, 2003, Baléo’s family moved to this vibrant city for work. Submersion is a subtle love letter exquisitely expressed in lyrical and narrative verse. Experiencing this new country while coming of age, Baleo’s poetry bears witness to the tug-of-war between peaceful and loving daily life and the weight of the country’s history of civil strife.