Poems Books

The life and work of Federico Garcia Lorca tower over me - his delicate balance of exhaltation and alienation, of romanticism and cynicism, of life and death. Through the eyes of his poems, the gray skys and cold winds all around me blaze with a new vision. If I can ever do a tenth of what Lorca has done, as a writer, as a thinker, as a person trying to enjoy life, than I shall be more than satisfied.

There is a pocket in my old Swiss Backpack that perfectly fits only one book for when I am away from home. This is the book that goes in it: You could take a whole case of Lorca's works but you would always be missing something. Instead, most of my favorate poems are in here, bilingual so there is no need for anyone to complain about the translator.

The best way to experience any poet's work is through the ark of their life, over the vast ups and downs that go with any carrer. In this book, you can begin to feel that in Lorca's transitions and transformations of the mundane world into the extraordinary.

Brilliant, emotions of positive and negative are tasted in this work

Whether you have children or not Buy this book. If you have children read them the landscape poetry in here. They will sing them in their sleep. It will take them on magical journeys to happy places and you also.

This volume has much to recommend it: the selections are just what you'd hope for [a nice cross-sampling of Lorca's forms, styles, voices, and developmental periods]; the introductory essay by editor Christopher Maurer is excellent, concise, and illuminating; and the translations are mostly brilliant. This is almost 5-star material.

I downgraded to 4 stars becasue several translations are too prosaic and literal for this most lyrical and oblique of poets. For example, Greg Simon and Steven White's translation of Danza de la muerte reads almost as flatly as a word-for-word transcription. The tripping rhythms and apocalyptic language of the original poem feel a bit bloodless in translation. Several of Cola Franzen's translations I think adhere too faithfully to the original structure, which doesn't work with English iambs, at least not without sacrificing music.

Of course, one cannot simply criticize a translation. At issue is an insoluble debate between faithfulness to the original in structure, diction, and sense, versus faithfulness to the original in sound, rhythm, and other musical aspects. The two faithfulnesses may be at conflict.

Anyway, this is an excellent selection, flawless except for those disappointingly flat-footed renderings. Can I propose a side-by-side-by-side format? Instead of Spanish next to a single English translation, how about Spanish next to a word-by-word, highly faithful translation, next to a more musical rendering? Sort of like this: Lorca-Simon/White-Ezra Pound? [As in his "translations" of Chinese poems?] Like I said: insoluble.

I just started browsing through a book of his poems in spanish one day and loved them, but my spanish is marginal. This has the spanish poems side by side with english translations, many of which I don't really like because they do things like switch words and lines and take a little too much freedom and change the spirit of the poem, but that's okay. You can read the spanish, read the english, and see exactly what has been changed, but the beauty is in the spanish ones, and though his vocabulary is large, yours doesn't really have to be to appreciate the sound and sight of these poems in spanish. I love many of the sonnets, plus the king of harlem, which reminds me of HCE from Finnegans Wake, this character that becomes the landscape itself, "after walking", and many others from the poet in new york. I've just been getting into some spanish poets after reading some st john of the cross and seeing what types of flows and life can be infused into words in this language, and these dark, bloody grimy oozes of language have had me high for weeks.

This is just a short note of appreciation the Author of Fetena, Tewodros Abebe. All the work he has done in this wonderful book by expressing his noble thoughts with beatiful word.It is amazing and enjoyable! We, Ethiopians have somehow failed to realized our own problem spritually and politically. I am proud to count myself as person who incredibly admire this wonderful and well written poem which wakes up our brain cell and let us to think twice when it comes to a good judjement for our own country. By reading this book,you will see different weakness that we had in commen and how things are change and affect us with so many ways when it comes to our culture and sociatey. So, This simple poem help us to see our own problem clearly .I highly recomand and ask every citzen to buy and read this simple poem but with a lot of grace and carry a true massage. Tewodros keep it up!
Mimi from Ohio.

very few books elicit such emotion from the reader as this one.
Ethiopia has suffered a shortage of good writers for some time now. So long infact I cant say there has been one in my lifetime. In a time when mediocrity has become the norm Fetena is a breath of fresh air. In fact Im happy to say, Tewodros Abebe has single handedly resurrected the art or "Gitim".
Gitim is not getting two words that hit home, so to speak, as some so called writers seem to think. It is an art form. An art form that Tewodros seems to have mastered. His well chosen words seem to strike a cord that few writers have been able to.
Please don't try to read this book at one sitting. It is not meant to be read as a regular book. Read one poem at a time. Take time to digest it, savor it, let the words wash over you. That is how a well written Gitim (poem) should be read. And from time to time you will find yourself going back to the book to "refresh" or just to enjoy the rich depth and flavor of FETENA.
If I could say one thing to the author it would be this is a great start But NOW expectations are really high for your second book.
I dare say that Judging by his first book, Tewodros has the makings of a great writer, I do hope he can live up to the high standard he has set for his second book. God knows we need a good writer in Ethiopia today.

This is a book one must internalize and search for the truth. Tewodros's poems touches so many aspects of life and they are direct, simple and clear. Each has a purpose and message and they highlight issues that are so pertinent to our society. You can feel his energy and passion as he wrote his poems. I highly recommend others to read this wonderful collections of poems.

Mulugeta Araya
MinnesotaFetena: A Collection of Amharic Poems'

I read this book with great pleasure and interest. The book clearly shows that Tewodros has a great love for his country. He has managed to capture the very essence of Ethiopia from its history, to its struggles, victories and treasures.

I hope to read other books from this talented author and highly recommend others with a great love for Ethiopia to read this enlightening book.

from Australia

I read Fetena with keen and deep interest for the issues explored have been painful reflections of my life as an Ethiopian and all Ethiopian people with no exception. Reading Tewodros's Fetena has been living the reality of Ethiopia, past and present, through the intellectual imagination of a gifted individual who happen to be the witness of some of the horrific events and consequences of the famine and drought that affected millions of people.
The kind of poetries presented in the book carries one deep into the twisted realities of the Ethiopian experience with such force that one only admires how the author manages to say so much in such compact writing to enliven the sensitivity of the reader and escalate his inner emotions and inquisitiveness to demand more of each poetry he reads only to learn that the next title he finds is as dynamic, engaging, educational and nerve racking in terms of its power to deliver the message it is designed for. Tewodros's pen is full of wisdom and insights in glorifying Ethiopia's larger than life figures (heroes)that one would appreciate the value of real heroism that transcends narrow minded nationalism. As he recounts heroes in national leadership, sport, academia, political struggle, religion and more who have been instrumental for Ethiopia's greatness, Tewodros's inner cry for lack of such heroes today to solve current Ethiopia's woes is audibly loud and clear.
In the structure of his poems is also well built the hierarchy of human destiny from the individual in the author himself, to the core family, to the community to the nation, to the human race all the way to the Almighty God. In fact Tewodros makes sure that as much as his theme is "Fetena", to mean "challenge", pondering on the suffering as well as the ups and downs of himself, as well as the human race especially in the Ethiopian context, he makes sure that God deserves his rightful place in reminding the reader to overcome the power of darkness with that of the light. The poetic lamentation of "Telemenen" or "How long...Have mercy on us", the topical quotes he includes in the book, the concept of "Ethiopia stretches her hands to God..." which the author believes as mentioned in the introduction and other spiritual curvatures contained in many of his writings drive at the fact that the "challenge" will eventually be surmounted by the power and mercy of God.
If one can extrapolate from the collections in the book, Tewodors seem to consider poetry as a means to deliver powerful human message and empower others transform themselves and their environment at all levels. I strongly believe that Tewodros has contributed immensely through his poetries in "Fetena" to the Ethiopian society exhibiting "what was", "What is" and "what should be" as well as demanding every citizen, only in the way a poet can communicate, to take the challenge in redeeming the nation with the help of God.
It is only few who can manage in tapping the power of the pen and express themselves (in a little book of only 140 pages) with such conciseness and clarity of thought transfiguring the tragic drama of modern Ethiopia, its heroes, history, religion, culture and people as a living reality enabling others with open minds to know Ethiopia and its challenges. Tewodros definitely did that.

One thing that is easy to note is that Tewodros is a focused and serious author who seem to write for a purpose. If he is too serious in his poems pondering more on the challenges faced and the negatives of our society and what will make one feel more cry and melancholic than otherwise, that is what the reality has been. We have been traumatized by life for more than a generation. A good writer writes what he knows and that is what Tewodros has accomplished.
Of corse, we have to aspire for a better tomorrow and we have to work for it. But Tewodros was right on the money when he title his book "Fetena" and delivers "A" rated beautiful poems that shows the challenges we have been faced with.... Tewodros's book is a treasure to learn from about Ethiopia.

May the Lord helps us overcome our challenges.

Abel Gashe

The meanings keep popping up and jumping into awareness. The line from "Genesis" -- "Into the barrenness the vibrancy and growth of life" -- is reflective of celebration out of chaos. The more I read and re-read it, I am tempted to add, "It's prophetically global."

-- Gilbert E. Fleer, Professor/Counselor, Social Science, Wester Texas College

In only two sentences Perry can present a powerful poem like "Translation." A brilliant, enlightening poem is "Must I Be a Race?" I wish my Hispanic, Afro-American, Native American Indian friends could hear or read it. Perry knows folklore in two languages (Spanish or Puertorican and English, and he presents the "folk" and their animals in such philosophical poems and translations as "The Ox."

-- James W. Byrd, Professor Emeritus of Literature and Languages, Texas A&M University- Commerce Emerituds

The "Ox" and "Translation" are two of my favorites. "Translation -- When I was thrust into this strange and awesome world,/ I gave myself to What is here." We came into this sometimes baffling world with no volition of our own. We inevitably ask ourselves these questions: Who am I? Where did I come from? What am I here for? There is only one answer: "Trust to Caring Arms." In a few short years we must leave this baffling world behind forever. "What is there" we cannot know. Again our only answer is "Trust in Caring Arms." -- Father Paul W. Barrus, Parochial Vicar, St. Elizabet Ann Seton Church, Plano, Texas

I appreciated amd emjoyed all the poems. The great variety and beauty of them, plus the thought-provoking content. And the beauty of expression. These poems will appeal to people like me . The line in "Song of the Bamboo" : "The butterflies -- flowers in flight" was just one of the expressions and thoughts that stood out.

-- Constance Vulliamy, ex-Park College

Translations of Romanian poetry into languages of international circulation most often follow the subjective logic of personal relationships. Lacking frequently is . . .the spontaneous elective affinities, . . . the inspired discovery of a kindred spirit. . . . Therefore, when we come across a deeper motivation for the translation of Romanian poetry into English, the case deserves close attemtion.

The American critic, poet, and university professor Thomas Amherst Perry has included in his recent book of poetry FROM THESE ROOTS AND OTHER POEMS a number of English translations, from Tudor Arghezi and Ion Barbu. This should come as no suprise to those who remember Perry as the first American Fulbright lecturer at the University of Bucharest, after the resumption of Romanian-American cultural relations in 1963-64 . . . a "historical figure." . . . In the course of thre4e decades he has become a recognized specialist in Romanian studies.

The deep affective encounter between Romanian poetry and Perry's own poetic work has been facilitated by religious and ideological affinities. The author is a religious spirit. . . . This spirit permeates poems like "Jesus on the Mount of Temptation," "I AM," and "Genesis." One can recognize a subdued-ironic melancholy in "O Brave New World," which ends in a meditation on Chaos and Nothingness."

The ideological facet of Perry's spiritual predilection . . . is a traditionalism of cultural "roots," . . . from which he excludes "ethnic chauvinists . . . who distort this heritage into a racist fetish." His life experience has taught the author that there is an "inexorable and continuing interplay between a native and other heritages." Perry's verses record such and interplay:" "the Puerto Rico of my boyhood," but also the Romanian world of "Eliade, Brancusi, Ionesco, Tzara, Celan, and Cioran." This cross-cultural and spiritual encounter has given the poet "new insights, different perceptions, and new ways of thinking."

We now undestand why . . . Perry chose to translate Arghezi's "Testament" and Psalms. . . . These poems are permeated by an authentic spiritual emotion that crosses cultural boundaries. The introductory glosses are very useful for an American reader.

In the case of Ion Barbu . . . Perry selects "Dioptrie" . . . and "Joc secund." . . . What attracts him is the Romanian's multiplaned perception of reality." Interestingly, Perry sees in this type of vision a specific feature of the Romanian mind: the ambiguity of double meaning, the perception of converging but distinct planes of reality.

Perry's contribution in FROM THESE ROOTS is remarkable and worth the attention of both Romanian and American readers.

-- Adrian Marino

This beautiful cloth covered book brings Ryokan to life. An extensive biography helps place him firmly in the lineage of zen fools. His poetry is well rendered, cutting to the heart of his enlightenment, his lonely village. Some of the preface seems a bit misplaced and foolish, attempting to address the question of whether he was 'enlightened,' with deep and silly consideration of his views relative the deconstructionist movement. But his skill as calligrapher and poet are well treated: the beauty of his poetry is not random! If you can afford it, the hardcover's worth the extra bucks because of the sweet binding, really a nice book to hold in your hands.

I discovered Ryokan around 20 years ago when I took out "One robe, one bowl" from the library. Since then I've bought that and most of the other English translations that have appeared. I finally gave in and spent the extra bucks to buy this one and have been thoroughly impressed and glad with my purchase. Not only does it contain more of his poetry than the other collections, but it also contains some superb biographical and critical essays. If you want to know more about this wonderful poet and person, this is THE book to get. I would hope every library in America would purchase it as well. Although I'm sure Ryokan would find this rather amusing, I can't help but call this the "Cadillac of Ryokan anthologies." A fantastic book!!

Something about Ryokan just captures the imagination. An eccentric Zen monk living in a hut in the mountains, dashing off fine poetry and refined calligraphy after making the rounds in the towns below with his begging bowl, playing ball with the kids and sipping sake with the farmers along the way. Living a life free of the many conventions and responsibilities that hem us in, Ryokan seems to speak directly to us with a straightforward, friendly, unpretentious eloquence. Apparently this is a voice we find greatly appealing, and there are a great number of fine books about him and his poetry in English.

Still, of these, "Great Fool: Zen Master Ryokan" really stands out as an excellent scholarly treatment of Ryokan and his art. Special attention is given to the nature of his religious orientation and his place in late Tokugawa literary society. His relationships with sponsors and fellow literati (of both Confucian, Kokugaku, and Buddhist persuasions) are fleshed out through translations of his letters, his role and image in local society exemplified by Kera Yoshishige's firsthand biography (one of the earliest), and his strict Soto Zen religiosity are revealed in several sermonistic essays on Buddhism--these latter especially reveal a very different Ryokan, strident and very critical of the state of institutional Buddhism in his day, erudite in the difficult writings of Dogen and the canonical Mahayana sutras, whose practice of seclusion and begging turn out to be highly unusual in his own context and thus a very intentional manifesto of his firmly-held religious principles. And of course there are the poems, lots and lots of them, both kanshi and waka, all of which have been specially selected with a view to shedding light on many of these same questions--for what they tell us about Ryokan the literatus, Ryokan the local weirdo, Ryokan the Soto Zen monk, and hence Ryokan the man living during late Tokugawa Japan.

The three scholarly essays at the beginning of the book by Haskel and Abe outline these same themes as well as discussing perceptions of Ryokan in modern and contemporary Japan, his role as a kind of household name and folkloric culture hero and the very divergent academic takes on him by his different Japanese interpreters. Much consideration is given too to the evolution of Ryokan studies over time and of the nature and reliability of the sources we use to understand him. All of this makes this book extremely useful, almost indispensable really, for anyone who wants to study Ryokan in-depth, and this more than makes up for the fact that the translations of the poems themselves seem just a tad prosaic sometimes. Highly recommended to anyone interested in late Tokugawa Buddhism and its relation to literature as well as to all diehard Ryokan fans, of course.

Ryokan,a great zen monk who dubbed himself"the great fool" is one of the most revered figures in all Japan. As a wandering begging monk{one robe, a bowl and walking stick} Ryokan celebrates the quotidian,whether a stong pot of tea, sake,playing ball with village children,or the warming embers of a dying fire in the midst of Winter,he makes these images come alive,with vibrancy and suppleness. This volume conatins remembrances of Ryokan from contemporaries,disciples,students and those he met along the way. Along with his Reflections on Buddhism,this volume also contains a very helpfulessay, a poetics of mendicancy by ryuichi abe`,and another essay by ab`,commemorating ryokan. the introductory essay by peter haskel, ryokan of mount kugami puts ryokan in his historical perpective. However, above all, it is the pure airy poetry of the master himself.Cleansing and wonderful...

"Great Fool" is the best English source I've found for Ryokan's poems and life history. When I feel a bit overwhelmed, I always turn to Ryokan and his simple and direct approaches to life.

"Great Fool" starts off with three essays that deal with (among other things) Ryokan's modern popularity and the debate whether Ryokan was an enlightened Zen man. This last topic I found greatly interesting, especially his being coopted by Marxist thinkers who saw in him a failed zennist and bitter poet.

Next is a collection of stories of Ryokan's life and the poems, Kanshi poems written in Chinese and shorter Waka poems written in Japanese. Ryokan shares alot of spirit with Han-shan, or Cold Mountain, except that Ryokan's poetry seems livelier and more personable than Cold Mountain's, though this could be a result of the translations. It also could be the result of Ryokan's constant association with people - indeed, like a Bodhisattva, Ryokan never really left the world. Instead of running from inquirers with shreiks and giggles, Ryokan delightfully pulls a rubber playing ball from his sleeve.

The book ends with a collection of letters and essays written by Ryokan, which give a great insight into his daily life. I especially like how he ends some of his letters:

That's all.
Ryokan

Enjoy! That's all.

How Far Light Must Travel, by Judi K. Beach, is a book of beautiful poems by a gifted poet. Judi, who recently passed away much too soon, has left us with her words of insight and love of the everyday things the rest of us take for granted. She saw the beauty of everything and everyone around her and put it into her poems.

reading these poems gives one the feeling of sitting with the author, our heads touching, as she shares one piece of herself and then another in imagery as rich and full as the life she describes.

How Far Light Must Travel: Poems

Judi Beach takes the words we use everyday and makes them sing, creating emotions and pictures with them that are so vivid them seem to be in the moment. Her words will bring back childhood memories and will evoke hope for the future. A warm way to spend your precious time.

People who want to understand what's really happening in their lives will enjoy the gentle wisdom of Maine Poet Judi Beach in this slim volume. She holds an emotion, like a diamond, to the light until we see it in every facet, every season, in surprising ways. Not the least of these is love which, she seems to say, is not a gift that visits us but the force by which we see everything around and inside us--from our parents to the natural world to the ordinary and daily. Everywhere, love. And there is no room for forgiveness, for railing, for wishing things were different than they are, because somehow deep vision--seeing straight through to God--encompasses all of those things and much more. Break out a blanket and a latte and let this kind poet's voice take you where you need to go.

This lovely book of poems takes us back in time to the everyday of our childhood memories, universal in appeal, heart- wrenching yet so full of childish joy and perception. Every reader can identify and immerse themselves the beauty and craft with words that Judi Beach commands.
From childhood to adulthood, lightness to grief and loss, Beach's words and images take us on a journey, one that we always recognize as authentic , mirroring our own jouney through life.

It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

I really enjoyed this book because it is a glimpse into the mind of a latina female officer, from her perspective. This is what the public doesnt see behind the badge.

Validating if your one too.

This work is a lifting of the curtain into the world of cops, for without officers of the law our civility in a society that teeters on the fence of good and evil would certainly deteriorate. Poet Cortez brings the dilemmas of the police to the forefront showing poetically the stresses endured by the men and women who devote their lives for mankind. She peers deep into the psyche of cops and through her artistic genius shares their emotions with the rest of us. As you absorb the verses look beyond the written word and feel the current of these eye-opening poems. Thank you Sarah Cortez for sharing them with us.

whoa...this book is soooo hot, it could scorch your fingers....not many poets can mix erotica with police work and pull it off without making it seem schlocky...in fact, i don't think i've ever read a book like this...rather than cloud her poems with ambiguities, she tell you straight up about what it's like being a cop, a woman, and a mexican american in america, sometimes, all three at the same time...she can make a poem about wearing a bulletproof vest interesting...what i love ( and i mean love ! ) about these poems,is she shows you her world without the taint of political correctness, which i think is the worst thing that has ever happened to art, because it has kept people from saying what they really mean...you see her frustrations as a cop,when she realizes she can't win every battle; the men she works with as she tries to gain their respect...her own struggles in her personal life as she loves men of brown and white shade and possible not a man at all? after reading this book. i respect her for the job she does, and for showing her sensuality unabashed on verse...

A close reading of the poems themselves shows that the poet is trying to conceal her shy and diffident personality by a kind of bravura that we might expect from a man. The result is an argument contrary to fact as well as a work of art. That said, I must admit that my respect for a work of art depends on my affection for it. In terms of form, tone, brevity, humor, sheer cleverness, beauty, wit, and efficiency, I like (there is no other word) Sarah's poems. They are easy to read and easy to understand and represent ultra modern compressed pellets of easily assimilated emotion. Any conceits? Her shadow metaphor is a conceit, but since the cops think that way, it's O.K. I know. My father was a cop. So were two of my uncles.

Sarah Cortez is a poet, teacher, and cop in Houston, Texas. Her work is tough, sensual, and very sexual. Her job as a cop and her Latina heritage flavor her poems. This is a beautiful piece of work from a poet who has a lot of potential to be great. She has the flavor of those 'bad girl' poets (like Kim Addonizio, Dorianne Laux, and their matriarch-Edna St. Vincent Millay). This is a strong collection, and I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Kristine O'Connell George's poetry is beautiful as these poems lead her observations of a mother hummingbird making a nest, laying her eggs, then the eggs hatching and the young moving out. The illustrations are lovely realistic sketches that capture each stage of the hummingbirds' development. This makes a nice Mother's Day gift. I also bought a copy for a special aunt who loves nature.

If you or I were to find a tiny hummingbird nest in our backyard, we would handle such a discovery in any variety of ways. Some people would probably set up a camera and create a 24-hr live feed to their website. Others would ignore the nest or, worse still, actively remove it due to some odd hummingbird-based-delusion that the creatures were pests. When author Kristine O'Connell George found her nest, she came up with a particularly original way of marking the event. She kept a steady journal and, when all was said and done, she turned that journal into poetry. And she turned that poetry into a book. And that book was illustrated by the all-too-accomplished Barry Moser. And as a result, children's librarians everywhere have the honor of carrying "Hummingbird Nest" on their shelves, ready to be taken out by any inquisitive child with a yen for tiny birdies. Neither you nor I might go this route, but then neither you nor I would have such a fine title to our name. Such is life.

There are 26 poems in this book, all told. At the beginning a single small bird launches itself at a family eating on their patio. It appears that the creature has claimed this area as its own and immediately sets about building a nest in a potted tree. After a short amount of time two eggs appear in the nest. The family carefully checks up on them when the mama bird is away. The chicks hatch and are fed by their mother. Then they grow over the course of 18-26 days. At the end of that time, one of the babies flies away without the family ever saying goodbye. The second bird has some false starts before it finally figures out how to fly, and (after a snack from mama) fly it does. From that time on, hummingbirds sip nectar from the family's feeder and the author says to herself in the Author's Note, "Were any of the fledglings that turned up at our feeder later that spring our hummingbirds? I like to think they were".

The book has the feel of realism to it, helped along by Moser's accurate artistic renderings. The poetry, for its part, is a kind of friendly free verse. All scientifically accurate. All tiny odes to greater hummingbird-dom. I was particularly fond of a poem entitled, "Spiders, Beware!" that cautions all arachnids that the hummingbirds are around and ready to steal their webbing. These poems are rather innocent and don't go in for witty metaphors or particularly original imagery. They're just gentle little pieces that contain words like, "this rainy evening / your quiet wings / smoothly pressed / as you patiently sit / gentle captain / of your cobweb ship". There's even a small hummingbird-ish haiku at the end (though for a superior hum-haiku, check out the one in Jack Prelutsky's, "If Not For the Cat"). At the end of the book is the Author's Note that tells the true story, some quick facts about hummingbirds, and a very nice bibliography of hummingbird resources for old and young readers.

It's really Barry Moser's art that lifts this little book from obscurity, though. If you haven't perused Moser's stunning, "In the Beginning" (with words by Virginia Hamilton) then I'm afraid you've a large gap in the creation-myth department of your brain. Moser's watercolors here are wonderful. In the picture where the hummingbird dive-bombs the family, we see an older woman dropping her breakfast spoon, a coffee cup already turned on its side, and a hand covering her face in what is unmistakably the beginning of a laugh. Moser's dog is mournful and his cat full of the languid grace of the species. There are changes in perspective, in distance, and in view. In this way, Moser creates what otherwise could have been a deathly dull series of illustrations.

Come to think of it, this whole enterprise could easily (in the hands of the less adept) have ended up as some kind of boring practice in nature poetry. Instead it captures a fascinating subject, those winged little paradoxes of the avian world, and displays for us all the wonder that she, the author, experienced once. There won't be a child in the world who doesn't yearn for a hummingbird nest of their own after paging through this light little book. Seriously consider pairing it with the equally lovely and aforementioned, "If Not For the Cat", for a detailed examination of the natural world through verse. A small but strong work.

As a reading specialist I regularly review new children's books. As soon as I saw this one, I thought of my mom. She's a sharp-minded 87-year-old who loves poetry, art and hummingbirds. She gives the artistry, both words and watercolors, of this book an easy five stars.

This book is a tender treasure of hummingbird experiences through the wide-open eyes of a family entranced and the pen of a noted writer clearly in love with her subject.

Written as delightful poems, the story contains many teachable moments following "Anna" through the birth process, portraying the teetering and testing of the young ones' wings, proceeding on to the inevitable empty nest. It was hard to hold back tears as the wonder-filled story touches on the universal, relating to many cycles in our own lives.

The delicate watercolor drawings are beautiful in their own right, yet support and enhance the story in seemingly perfect harmony.

I heartily recommend this book to hummingbird lovers and children of all ages, who, caught up in the flow of the story, will absorb many hummingbird facts before they even know it.

Beth Kingsley Hawkins
Co-Editor, The Hummingbird Connection
www.hummingbird.org

One warm, February morning a tiny hummingbird began building a nest in a ficus tree on the patio of George's home in Claremont , California . For the next two months George kept a "hummingbird journal" of the daily happenings. "I still marvel," she writes, "over the surprising range of emotions one small bird and her family evoked: awe, worry about possible dangers, and laughter when the baby birds teetered on the edge of the nest for their daily flight practice."

George has expertly taken those emotions and woven them into this delightful collection of poems. In "Visitor" we are introduced to the small mother. She is nothing more than a "spark, a glint, / a glimpse of pixie tidbit." In the next poem, however, we see her bravado and determination in action. She becomes a "feathered missile streaking by," ordering the humans off her patio, out of her territory.

Soon two eggs are visible in the "cobweb ship" of a nest. Once hatched, the nestlings, "raisin black / an wrinkled," settle in. In "Flight Practice," George does a superb job at allowing the reader to visualize the drama taking place: "Four curled up feet grip / the top of the nest. / Two tiny motors / rev up for the wing test."

Moser is in top form here. His realistic, incredibly detailed watercolor paintings are small jewels in themselves.

The poems and illustrations combine wonderfully to allow readers the opportunity to vicariously witness nature up-close.

Highly Recommended.

Reviewed by the Education Oasis Staff

Here is gorgeous, thoughtful poetry, both lush and precise, engaging both heart and mind. I can't imagine anyone coming away from the riches of this slim volume unmoved. Whenever you fear that the world is too drab, too grey, too hopeless, dip into the quiet, deep beauty of these pages and be renewed.

If you love great poetry, read this book. If you love nature, and suffer to see it destroyed, and want to learn to suffer without hating, read this book. Diane, you are truly a messenger of wonder.

Ackerman presents a book of poems that any mortal can relate to and be deeply moved by. The poems encourage us to accept our fate as human beings (death, ultimately) with grace and appreciation for the forces of nature, great and small, which move our lives and shape our world. Gorgeous, sensual poetry on themes of life woven with descriptions of natural and botanical elements. As one who does not believe in God and often feels distraught over having to accept the fact of my own mortality, it is comforting and consoling to read some of the poems which encourage us to humbly accept the mysterious beauty of our world and the powerful forces of nature which govern our existance and simply to enjoy the sensual lovliness of life while we can.

Diane Ackerman has given us an incredible gift. The everday becomes spectacular, humanity precious, and nature blessed. I really loved Wildflowers and Where You Will Find Me.

I can't say enough wonderful things about this book! Her poem "The Consolation of Apricots" alone is worth the price. Thank you, Diane.

A poem from this book was TWICE featured on Writers Almanac and read by Garrison Keillor, Oct 17, 2003 and Oct 17, 2004. Check the archives link at lower left at www.writersalmanac.com to hear Keillor read the poem.

Sara King's style is evident in all of these poems. While there are obvious strong pieces, there are several that should not have been included in this collection.

Any description that I could plot down with letters would not equal the range of emotion reached by Sara King's metaphors. Therefore, I will not try. I will urge you, however, to read the "Laundry" poem and you will agree with me. (I heard this poem via Garrison's Keillor's Writers Almanac program on NPR.)

I will admit that I did not, indeed, purchase a copy of this book--I read the complete text via the Publisher's Web site, but believe me: this is worth buying. I intend to order my copy this week.

Allan St. James
Bowling Green, KY
Author of Banner

I think of these poems as sharp arrows that hit their target. Perhaps because so many are addressed to "you" I think of them as zooming through the air to some ONE, to some PLACE. They are zingers. Full of experience. King knows what's up and doesn't spare words....though she uses words sparingly. There's plenty of regret but no self-pity. Her voice is her own. The real thing. You will be glad you bought her book.

For a long time recently, I felt as if I were sleep walking through life, with my soul outside my body (choosing perhaps to live in the poetry section of Amazon.com or somewhere equally exotic....) and then I picked up this book of poems. I laughed, cried and sighed and I nodded my head with each poem I read and felt my soul come back to me......The magic of words!

Two of my favorites are "Finding Your Wife Was a Lesbian" (the last stanza is poetry at it's finest) and "The Clean House" (as a cat owner and wife of a "Mr. Clean", I wanted to frame this one....)

It's always exciting to discover a new poet, especially one whose poems you feel as if you could've written yourself. Such are the poems of Sara King. I highly recommend this book to all poetry lovers, women especially...it's on my keeper shelf.

Sara King is so insightful and fearless in her examination of the full range of modern love. One can feel her heart race at the thought of full surrender to a love while at the same time her ear is cocked for the first sign of withdrawal. Her ability to balance on the knife blade between hope and despair is extraordinary. Her sense of romance is almost medieval in that there is always a yearning for a love that reality can never assuage or fulfill. Always some twisting and pulling away -- a recognition that this will end and not be remembered. Her imagery is fresh and immediate -- like an early spring with an unexpected frost. It is a particularly poignant book for those who are recovering from a disappointing love, because it also carries the ring of truth and therefore hope. Her work reminds me of ee cummings. Highly recommended.

Pulitzer prize winning poet-naturalist Maxine Kumin chronicles a period of nine months, from the horrible horse-and-carriage accident that left her with a 5% chance of survival, and an even tinier prospect of ever walking again, to the time she is once again able to scramble up steep hills on her farm in New Hampshire again, albeit with difficulty. Hers is a statistically improbable recovery brought about not just by discipline and determination, and certainly not by faith (she is an atheist), but by love -- her family's love of her, and her own love not just for husband, children and grandchildren, but for horses, dogs, birds, vegetable garden, the seasons, and above all art and her craft. A passionate biophiliac, Kumin's love of nature can not be separated from her love of others, or her will to survive. This is an inpsirational book at so many levels. I completed it within hours of getting my hands on it, with my husband (a medical doctor) urging me to keep going, because I was reading it out loud to him and to my thirteen year old son. Inside the Halo... is wise, upbeat, gorgeously written and utterly inspirational. Someone you know scheduled for an operation? Had an accident? Run into some discouraging news? Forget the card. Send this book.

Maxine Kumin has given us a gift. "Illness, disability, the specter of permanent damage... are deeply personal, immediate, and terrifying," she writes. Indeed. This chronicle of recovery from a cervical spinal injury sustained after her horse bolted is a courageous foray through the intense first ten months of recovery.

More than a story of pluck and resilience this book delivers joy in its reaffirmation of what nourishes us: loving relationships. Relationships with husband, son, daughters, and friends--both old and newly formed in recovery-- and relationships to the land, to its bounty. It seems impossible for someone so connected to life to ever give up on it easily. Kumin narrates, in journal form, her struggles and how she didn't quit.

Kumin's life unfolds in this book. We see the stoic formed when her adored father "hovered in the doorway" when she was ill as a child; the horse lover who takes "deep pleasure" in seeing her horses in action; the gardener describing cauliflower and broccoli lovingly planted in May from seeds started on living room windowsills; and the poet who says of her farmhouse, "All of my doors are held open by stones."

The mother and wife are here, too. Kumin's daughter, Judith, spends months with her mother. It is comforting to read of a supportive, caring, daughter/mother relationship that flourishes during a time of great stress. Kumin is not afraid to tell us about moments of guilt and despair: "How I feel about my accident is quite simply that I screwed up everybody's life by living through it."

All this is written within a flowing narrative style that is groomed by this writer's cumulative knowledge of what is important in language and life.

Maxine Kumin is one of my favorite poets. I cheered when this well-paced chronicle led to a spring when this writer was finally back in the "peaceful kingdom" of her farm in New Hampshire. I am grateful the author has offered a book that allows us to witness her struggle as she looked inward and reached out.

Like many of Maxine Kumin's devoted reader/fan/friends, I came to her poetry through Anne Sexton's poetry/life.

However, as wonderful as Sexton's poetry is, and I love Anne Sexton's poetry, Maxine Kumin's poetry and prose can well stand on its own considerable merits.

Inside The Halo is a wonderful, gutsy, thoughtful book.

Having had some "orthopedic trauma" myself, though nowhere as severe as the accident Kumin survived, I can attest to the abundant truth she tells about the frustrations and joys of rehabilitation, and the "tough tenderness" of the best therapists.

Kumin also speaks movingly of how her amazing husband, children, and grandchildren rallied to see her through.

This is a difficult book to write about, because words like "uplifting" have become debased with casual use.

However, I am of the unshakable opinion that all doctors, nurses, therapists, and lovers of great writing would find something real in this fine book.

Putting thoughts into words is the salvation of many, particularly Maxine Kumin, who describes her recovery from paralysis in "Inside the Halo and Beyond." I was recently paralyzed myself, so I keenly identified with the account of her rehabilitation. Yet I felt pangs of jealousy because she walks again and the chances are nil this will happen to me.

Still, this book deserves an all-star rating for Kumin's eloquent and starkly honest description of her connections to poetry, literature, current events, international suffering, nature, equestrian riches, gardening, familial and friendly relations. She evokes empapthy and compassion without resorting to sappy sentiment or references to God. She explains, "My agnosticism eroded eventually to the skeletal remains of atheism and there I still stand. I'm not sure whether I should envy or pity the faith of others. Yes, it would be nice to have, but it seems a luxury of pietism I cannot afford."

Her love of words is eloquent: "I've always been a galloping reader, racing for information, hurtling past intervening advertisements or cartoons, breathless and fascinated with language."

It's a fine book.

Maxine Kumin has given us a gift. "Illness, disability, the specter of permanent damage... are deeply personal, immediate, and terrifying," she writes. Indeed. This chronicle of recovery from a cervical spinal injury sustained after her horse bolted is a courageous foray through the intense first ten months of recovery.

More than a story of pluck and resilience this book delivers joy in its reaffirmation of what nourishes us: loving relationships. Relationships with husband, son, daughters, and friends--both old and newly formed in recovery-- and relationships to the land, to its bounty. It seems impossible for someone so connected to life to ever give up on it easily. Kumin narrates, in journal form, her struggles and how she didn't quit.

Kumin's life unfolds in this book. We see the stoic formed when her adored father "hovered in the doorway" when she was ill as a child; the horse lover who takes "deep pleasure" in seeing her horses in action; the gardener describing cauliflower and broccoli lovingly planted in May from seeds started on living room windowsills; and the poet who says of her farmhouse, "All of my doors are held open by stones."

The mother and wife are here, too. Kumin's daughter, Judith, spends months with her mother. It is comforting to read of a supportive, caring, daughter/mother relationship that flourishes during a time of great stress. Kumin is not afraid to tell us about moments of guilt and despair: "How I feel about my accident is quite simply that I screwed up everybody's life by living through it."

All this is written within a flowing narrative style that is groomed by this writer's cumulative knowledge of what is important in language and life.

Maxine Kumin is one of my favorite poets. I cheered when this well-paced chronicle lead to a spring when this writer was finally back in the "peaceful kingdom" of her farm in New Hampshire. I am grateful the author has offered a book that allows us to witness her struggle as she looked inward and reached out.