Poetry Books

Library Journal Review of Black Lightning by Kitty Chen Dean of Nassau College:

Here 14 Asian American poets display the process of their poems and discuss their sources of inspiration,which include paintings, readings, personal encounters, countries of origin, and the sight of "dog piss." Tabios (poet and editor of The Asian Pacific American Journal) then presents drafts of poems from early stages through numerous alterations, deletions (sometimes entire pages), and additions, all with explanations. This makes for slow reading but engrossing revelations and ultimately rewarding insights into the birth of a poem. Tabios' skillful interviews help the poets reveal their modus operandi. That the writers are Asian American hardly matters; this is a valuable source for poets, aspiring poets and poetry lovers.

Black Lightning is the most important book on Asian American poetry to have been published within the last 10 years. If anyone off the street would want to know who Kimiko Hahn or Jessica Hagedorn was, they would do well in looking at Eileen Tabios' magnificently written essays/interviews in Black Lightning. A best buy book!

From A Review of Black Lightning by Douglas Spangle:

It should surprise nobody that literary criticism has been in terrible shape of late. New ideas come from unexpected places. Eileen Tabios began a series of interviews with Asian American poets which grew into this book. Tabios' method is to study the growth of individual poems from their earliest drafts through to completion, incorporating extensive interviews with the poets to detail, revision by revision, the genesis of each piece. It is an approach I only recall seeing once, in Alberta Turner's 50 Contemporary Poets: the Creative Process, which was nowhere near as extensive, intensive or various as Black Lightning. Tabios makes no attempt to prescribe or categorize, but meets all these poets on their own ground; although her tracing of process is meticulous and often requires a slow bell on reading speed, she avoids theoretical jargon and is accessible to any intelligent reader, no matter how "advanced" the poetry may be. I can now say that I have some understanding of (Mei-mei) Berssenbrugge, for instance, after reading this study -- something I despaired of ever doing. The question I've been begging all along in this review is why it took a novice to take this new approach, as much sense as it makes, to the study of poetry. Maybe it's just that the forest is so full of trees. Tabios writes that her ignorance and lack of intellectual baggage were probably a great benefit; the poets were more willing to be open and forthcoming with her because they sensed no hidden agendas, no axes to grind: "I think that towards poetry (or all Arts) one mostly needs to bring an open mind and an open heart." Black Lightning is the best possible recommendation for an open mind and an open heart. It is a magnificent specimen, an open book.

Solitude may fuel imagination, and what happens behind closed doors is often kept in secrecy by poets and writers. Black Lightning opens that door for us and lets us in to have a look at some poets' processes, almost like being allowed to sit there in their private spaces. Although we have different ways of approaching poetry and the life around it, it is still very fascinating to see the revelations of these very visible Asian American poets. It's a gem of a collection. Did I mention the very beautiful cover? Give it space on your shelf.

If there is one word that can describe Black Lightning, then perhaps the word boundless might come to mind, but even then that won't quite suffice. As author Eileen Tabios writes, "Black Lightning is many things: a miracle, an exercise in trust, a conversation, an experiment, a matter of idealism, and ultimately, a love affair." Everything from the different forms, styles, inspirations, images, and issues that worked to create the poetry filling these pages is capable of speaking to readers of all different personalities and backgrounds, "elicit[ing] different responses" at different times. But really, what makes it boundless is not just what exists on the pages we read but what exists in the spaces in between. Black Lightning is a quest for all involved to engage in this project of mapping out the human experience, mapping not only that which we can articulate in words but also that which articulates in a fashion that captures and eludes our imagination. Black Lightning is a book of the poetry-in-progress by 14 Asian American writers. Each article is rich with interviews, essays, excerpts of inspiration writings, and the reworkings of drafts of poetry towards their accomplished ends. Each is dedicated to the unique and powerful experiences and processes each writer goes through to create their masterpieces. Black Lightning belongs to a very important juncture in Asian American writing, capturing the widening scope in which Asian American writers are writing. Our concerns have expanded beyond race and ethnicity; they have even expanded beyond social and political issues although these will remain an integral part of Asian American literature. In Black Lightning, we are articulating matters such as memory, history, time, space, femininity, masculinity, sexuality, desire, spirituality, the psyche, imagination, all as integral to the Asian American experience as race is. Furthermore, in its discussion of the very act of writing a poem, Black Lightning is as Arthur Sze writes in the introduction, "just beginning to address theory and practice and the polysemous nature of the work." In this rare opportunity, we are able to share intimate moments with a fellow poetry lover as she engages in great conversation with the masters of this craft. From the very first pages, we see Tabios embark on her personal journey with insightful questions and reactions as she encounters each writer and each poem. As all poetry has its own rhythm, we hear such rhythms resonate as thoughts flow spontaneously between Tabios and these 14 poets. Tabios' interactions with the poems and their authors are intense, generating a profound understanding and appreciation for the desires, motivations, and issues that underlie the creative processes of these authors. Reading Black Lightning is like reading a personal journal - and we are privileged to be able to do so. While Black Lightning is a book that speaks of process in many ways - the process of becoming a creative writer, of becoming a careful reader, of becoming a human being - it is also a book that speaks of revelation. Tabios has created a wonderful site where experiences and intentions are unclothed and left up to the reader's interpretation in a way much different from what we are used to. Black Lightning reveals to us how ultimately the greatest lesson we need to learn is the most obvious - that poetry can be accessible to all of us. For all beginner poets, Black Lightning can be your Bible.

Adrian Louis' "Bone and Juice" is a wonderful book of poems with a strong and unique voice. Louis' blunt eloquence is refreshing. The main reason why this book is unique to me is how Louis uses his Native American heritage and its effect on his life to produce a body of poems that the reader can feel is the honest truth. He allows the reader to relate to him. Louis' poems are not like the poems you read that are mere quirky observations of what is going on around you. His poems are about living, changing, and coping. They are formed from sincere reflections and lucid thoughts true to the moment of conception. What is even greater about Louis is that he can comfortably and skillfully add humor and sarcasm to serious issues. And therefore the reader can not only be inspired by the poems themselves but also by the hope and perseverance of his writing style.
Poems such as "Juice" and "The Promise" are great examples of Louis' strength as a poet and as a person. I think that these are the types of poems that can cut to a person's heart making the reader exclaim "wow" in amazement at witnessing Louis' understanding of himself. Although many people cannot even begin to empathize with what it means to be part of the minority in America, let alone being part of a culture that has been nearly exterminated by colonization throughout the centuries, Love can be generally understood by most people. And the depth and loyalty that Louis shows in his Colleen poems is quite admirable and powerful.
Louis, while being skilled enough to let the reader understand him, also brings us to a world that is most likely unknown to some people particularly readers of poetry.

For those people interested in great poetry, Adrian Louis's, "Bone and Juice" will satiate the biggest poetry fanatic. In this collection of works, Louis fuses his rhythm and bluntness with a unique humor to express the loss of spirituality in the Native American community. More than his words, his boldness in portraying the sadness that he feels at his world will have readers mesmerized.

I enjoyed Bones & Juice because Mr. Louis gives some insight to life of the Native American. His insight is a refreshing example of a person who has mastered his craft with care,and the tenacity of a true Warrior. A good read that will touch your soul.

Poetry lovers need this book by Adrian C. Louis. It's thoughtful, at times funny, and brilliantly constructed. Louis is a master of image and isn't afraid to tackle a variety of issues from age, to insanity, to culture, to God. He juxtaposes the historical tragedy of the Native American with personal tragedy, particularly his relationship with Colleen. I read this book in an hour and was upset to find that I didn't have more to read. All in all, a wonderful book.

Without a doubt, Adrian C. Louis is one of the best modern poets alive. His poems draw upon a vast range of inspirations, including his heritage and various experiences with the opposite sex. Additionally, his imagery and phrasing don't try to show things in a fluffy fantasy world. Everything he writes is straight forward and never leaves you trying to guess at a hidden meaning. Fans of poetry should not be without this book, even if the word Cowturdville worries you.

book, well worth the read, whose title comes from "Anthem" by Leonard Cohen: That's How the Light Gets In: Memoir of a Psychiatrist by Susan Rako, M.D. Fans of Cohen will recognize "There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." Rako, a near-contemporary of Leonard Cohen, has given us a remarkably candid and fascinating memoir -- notably well-written and a great read. The writing just flows.

Perhaps Leonard Cohen has never been a King, as was David, but the passion of his reflections truly invites comparison.

Cohen struggles with G-d, in the finest tradition of Judaism-- indeed, of all spiritual combat. So he both speaks to G-d, and he listens. His listening compels me to listen with my own feeble ears.

This is a book for all spiritual combatants, whether Jewish, Christian, or Muslim. Or any faith that is "of the book."

Because I had bought and read his latest book I decided to buy an old one. Since his songs are poems set to music this book is prose brought to the level of poetry. Short thoughts on his relationship to a higher being or muse or idea. Thought provoking. A pleasure just to read. The man has spent his life finding the right words and metaphoric language for his deep thoughts on love and meaning and life. Thank you, Leonard

Leonard Cohen, always the great poet, has done a masterful job of expressing the spirit of the Psalms in modern prosaic, poetic form. And like the son of the chief psalmist, Cohen has traveled a road that has taken him through many life experiences, only to come through them to arrive at the knowledge of that which truly matters. Book of Mercy is not only a literary gem, but a book of enlightening and thought provoking inspiration for Jew and Christian alike, not to mention that person we often refer to as a seeker.

Although Book of Mercy is written in prose, its soul is poetic.
To try to describe it I must point at the Moon -- there are no words
in me, experience it for yourself. My best friend's roots are Jewish,
mine are Catholic, we have evolved into an inclusive state of being,
yet Book of Mercy shows us the origins of our religions respectively --
althouth it is beyond either.

Here are some publisher's quotes: "An eloquent victory of the human spirit in combat with itself." (Globe and Mail)
"One of the most honest and courageous attempts in Canadianwriting to grapple with ultimate truth." (Books in Canada)
"Resplendent evidence of an arduous spiritual journey." (Maclean's)

Nobody else in our times reaches the tundra of the soul's journey as does Cohen. A wonderful love-version of the Star of David graces the cover.

This book has become on of my favorites in my poetry collection. Manguso's intelligent, moving poetry is full of dark, fall-on-your-knees humor. Her work almost casually walks the line between dispair and hope, even lending the reader a smile and a curtsey. The collection is stunning, utterly beautiful. She is a bright new talent and I look forward to seeing her work evolve.

It's not often in the world of Amazonia that one finds a work of art that has received five star reviews from every reviewer. But Sarah Manguso truly deserves the accolades. Her poems are sinewy and funny and unpredictable (until you memorize them). What a deft hand she has in crafting these gems. I agree with the reviewer who lamented so much of modern poetry's self-seriousness. Well, you won't find that here. And yet, for me she is a poet to be taken very seriously, if you know what I mean.

I mostly read novels but was very glad to discover Sarah Manguso's poetry. Her writing is an unexpected combination of dream and epigram -- you wouldn't believe that it'd work, but it does, beautifully. Instead of treating the self as a sump to maunder through, Magnuso tweezes it off the bone bit by bit and eyes it with a loupe, with the reader looking over her shoulder. She obviously loves langauge but is no show-off; nor does she ever become cryptic or precious. Her poetry is clear, serious, and lancingly funny. And sad. "That's a lot of dead bear" -- that line gets me every time.

Manguso's voice is conversational and declaratory, seeking--and finding--truth in luminous, mysterious metaphors. "Sometimes I think I understand the way things work/ and then I find out that on Neptune it rains diamonds," Manguso writes in "Beautiful Things." She has learned much about the way things work, and she has much to teach us. She is unafraid to make the important discoveries. Reading her poems is traveling on an important, sometimes frightening, journey with a trusted guide.

Manguso uses words like lasers to clear away the gunk on the coffin door of your whole soul, so you can finally lift the lid and see that the only thing inside are a few charcoal drawings. She plummets into the abyss confident she'll have time to finish her note before she hits bottom, translating every indecipherable obscenity on the ancient cave walls as she falls into perfect English. This is poetry as flashlight, it's only when you turn it on you realize you were alone in cobwebbed darkness all this time.

JIM, who ran away from his nurse and was eaten by a lion.

It's small wonder that Edward Gorey chose to illustrate Belloc's verses, written nearly a century ago - in fact, they were such a clear and strong influence on his work, it's hard to believe he didn't write them himself. 'Cautionary Tales' is a literary work that was years ahead of its time, parodying the overtly-strict educational children's verses of the time with tales of children whose punishment is wholly disproportioned to their crime. Gorey's illustrations, published only after his death in 2000, complete the ghoulish verses with his trademark naïve and refined black and white crosshatching. Already in his seventies, Gorey has lost none of his charm and style and these illustrations are as nasty and sarcastic as anything he's done, perfectly complimenting the ironic text.

'Cautionary Tales' is the first work of Gorey's published after his death, and it's a perfect conclusion to his illustrious career, and one of his finest works. It's an essential to any fan of this great artist.

This was one of the loved books of my childhood in the original edition, of course.

I hadn't seen it for a very long time and was anxious to haev a copy for my younger grandchildren. Though old people can enjoy it as well.

Now plesed to have it on my own shelves

I got this to read to my nephews, and it did not disappoint when the time came to pick a story to read. I highly recommend this and the Gashlycrumb Tinies to anyone with children or nephews....

I just gave this to a friends' one year old for her birthday. In the inscription I wrote that she ought to read and learn, as whatever she does in life will come back to haunt her. My friend thought the book hysterical. Her husband thinks we're both odd...

One can imagine Edward Gorey mulling over these "Cautionary Tales",subsequently creating succinct Goreyesque illustrations for them. Then years later after presenting his family to us in "The Willowdale Handcar" he undoubtedbly mulled over ideas about families & children and came up with my personal favorite Gorey: The Gashleycrumb Tinies. If you like Gorey & you like the Tinies, you'll enjoy "Cautionary Tales".

4 stars only because I happen to like the devilishly wonderful "Tinies" better.

Lorca's poems flutter your heart, and Christopher Mauer really knows Lorca, the translations are true to Lorca's magic.

Garcia Lorca's poems are beautiful in Spanish. The translations in English seem a little heavy or awkward. But, in Spanish, they're lovely.

Frederico Garcia Lorca is wonderful as always. This gives my granddaughters who know some Spanish and my friends who do not speak an opportunity to read and enjoy him.

I don't know if this is the best way to work on learning Spanish, but it's certainly one of the least painful. It's great to have the original Spanish and the English translation opposite each other. I can't think of a better way to work on your pronunciation than to read these poems out loud to yourself [or others if they're interested]. The musical sound of the poetry makes you love the language and want to learn it. Maybe someday I finally will. In the meantime just reading and speaking it is it's own reward.

I usually find most modern poetry boring. Not Lorca's. His poems are short but potent and piercing, full of vivid imagery. His Spanish is difficult to translate literally into English while still retaining vibrancy, but this translator did a good job. The Spanish poetry is presented on the left-hand pages and its English version on the right-hand pages for easy comparison. Not a literal translation by any means, but a very effective one. A strong recommend.

Not having read Robert Lowell's poems previously, I was delighted with their acessiblity and being a Boston area resident, I enjoyed their local references. I think I had hesitated to read another "confessional" poet having had my fill of Plath, but Lowell is very different and poem after poem pleased me.

A great collected poems by one of America's masterful minor poets. Much to see and enjoy. Great for any poet who wishes to apprentice himself to someone with a subtle and sophistaced understanding of the English language and a wide and nuanced emotional range. Sturdy hardback volume. Will last an entire lifetime.

I believe that Lowell's work is best viewed through this expansive collection. No single book of his poetry truly captures the full breadth of his literary accomplishments. Of course, if you're only looking for an introduction to his work, Life Studies or For the Union Dead would probably do.

But if you really want to understand the full scope of his talent, then this book is indispensable. I would even go so far as to say that this book will probably cement Lowell's place among America's finest poets in years to come.

I studied with Robert Lowell at Harvard in 1963 & 1964. I wouldn't presume to review his Collected Poems, only to testify that he was a giant of a human -- witty, sensitive even toward brash young would-be poets, immensely knowledgeable, immensely conscientious. Having known him remains one of the great privileges of my life. Reading his poems is a great privilege for all of us.

The publication of this book was doubtless necessary to begin understanding Lowell correctly. Creator and destroyer, careful wordsmith and subversive deconstructor, encountering just one of his volumes along the strange parabola of his career can be confusing. Lowell always set out to carefully craft each of them, with special attention to the arrangement of his resonant poems and their slow, grand, building cumulative effect. To let you know the game, Lowell presented almost each of his volumes with an evocative frontpiece engraving by Francis Parkman -- the poet thus visually setting forth each of his works, in advance of his death, as another controlled chess move against the great opponent Fame -- the act of a control fanatic if there ever was one.

Yet somewhere in the middle of Lowell's career of creating the little volumes, more violently toward the end of his years as diseases took over, the mad Doppleganger Cal (Lowell's nickname to his insider pals) enters, seeds the serene clouds with fury, and all hell breaks loose. At worst, all is botched: mere beautiful poetic scraps, a line or two amongst literary gossip for insiders, yesterday's obnoxious news. In hindsight Cal indeed did a pretty good job; it is easier to just turn away from the mess. But Lowell is so good at his best, so earnest even in his madness, that we are going to miss something significant about our own history -- the subject which most deeply concerned him -- if we do. And finally, even at his worst, there is always something very endearing about this voice, something very human and honest. Lowell was plagued with true and furious organic disorders which disrupted his personality; his issues were not only self-inflicted. In an earlier age he would not have lived out the length of career he did; in significant ways, then, his voice is a truly new one on the block. Unfortunately for him, the hyped up madness of his period identified with his genuine madness and made a pathetic celebrity of him, which didn't help the brave and fragile personality struggling to make poetic sense of a disturbed time.

Bidart has picked up the pieces and presented Lowell as one, that's all, in all his exasperating wholeness. Now it is easier to see that Lowell and Cal were one, that the lasting work of worth emerges from their furious wrestling. Over time he was many kinds of a writer and a poet, and certainly not all of them will last. He left some absolute foolishness he only got away with because of his name and the looniness at large which seized on him about the same time it seized on Batman and Laugh-In -- junk like the plays in the Old Glory. But when you remember that this was a truly sick man and not just another boozed out writer, you wonder at the absolute clarity of the best work, and the occasional glimmers which never entirely disappeared. Doubtless much later, a generation free of the diseases we still to a degree share with this poet will make the appropriate selection. In the meantime, in a real sense, the record Bidart has compiled shows that the bell tolls for us, too.

With poetry like this available, why do we continue to read Rita Dove and Billy Collins?

Quite simply one of the best poets writing today producing some of the finest work of rhyme that actually makes sense to heart and mind. Cogent and cajoling; humble and humourous;impassioned and yet not impulsive. If Richard Wilbur has an heir apparent to the great legacy of New Formalism, it would be hard to deny Timothy Steele a full reading of the will. College Prof. at Cal.State L.A., he makes sure his poetry is not steeped in musty,over-erudite academia. He's down in the streets of Southern California or under the Golden Gate Bridge or in a classroom or describing his wife after a shower or comfortable with Biblical metaphors. An example (not in the current volume, but on the internet-Poetry Daily): Toward the Winter Solstice (excerpt)

'Some wonder if the star of Bethlehem/Occurred when Jupiter and Saturn crossed;/It's comforting to look up from this roof/And feel that, while all changes, nothing's lost/To recollect that in antiquity/The winter solstice fell in Capricorn/And that, in the Orion Nebula,/From swirling gas, new stars are being born.'

A great New Year's resolution is to feed your poetic soul. Take and read anything by Richard Wilbur, Timothy Steele, Dana Gioia, and bon apetit!

Tim Steele has already proven his strength as a poet, and has quite a reputation for his work in meter. This collection only solidifies his reputation. The poems are well written (and Steele does some interesting things with meter and rhyme). Anyone interested in formal poetry should read his work.

Extending the range and depth of his two previous collections of poetry (available from the University of Arkansas Press as a single volume, SAPPHICS AND UNCERTAINTIES), THE COLOR WHEEL confidently establishes Steele not only as the premiere metrical poet of his generation, but also as one of the very best poets writing in English today.

THE COLOR WHEEL takes its title from one of the volume's central poems, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Child," a witty and wise meditation that begins with a description of a small child coloring with crayons and segues smoothly into the poet's memory of first seeing a color wheel, a spectrum of choices not only for the budding artist, but also, on a metaphorical level, for the poet and reader. The poem ends with one of the most beautiful passages I've seen in recent poetry: "You're off and traveling through the wheel/Of contrasts and of complements,/Where every shade divides and blends,/Where you find those that you prefer,/Where being is not linear,/But bright and deep, and never ends."

This enticing invitation to choose freely from the world's variety extends to Steele's entire collection, which ranges from a mock-Stevensian anecdote about a sugar bowl to a sobering recollection of doomed Holsteins in "Georgics." The Horatian alcaics of "Luck," in which the poet confronts the good fortunes of others, complements the mildly brooding blank verse of "Pacific Rim," in which the poet hints at the luckless victims of 20th century brutality. Yet the tenor of the collection is decidedly hopeful, and perhaps no title (or poem) in the book better exemplifies this than the charming "Beatitudes, While Setting Out the Trash."

Steele's art, which frequently explores the interrelationships between nature and human nature, regards human consciousness as fragile and in need of preservation. His superb meditation on "The Library" draws upon and condenses some of the material to be found in his magisterial prose critique of the free verse movement, MISSING MEASURES, and yet the emphasis in this poem is on the wit of foraging squirrels as well as the cleverness of archiving humans.

The volume contains a number of exquisite lyrics, including the opening "Aurora" with its subtle echoes of Valery, and the delicate homage to Thom Gunn, "Vermont Spring." Readers who admire the poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson will certainly enjoy "Cory in April," a poem about a drunken homeless man who was once a boxer, and admirers of Frost will be tickled by the humorous and moving "Fae," one of the most memorable poems in Steele's outstanding ouevre.

With his flawless ear, deft rhymes, and penetrating intelligence, Steele is already a poet for the ages. Read THE COLOR WHEEL and SAPPHICS AND UNCERTAINTIES to discover why.

Extending the range and depth of his two previous collections of poetry (available from the University of Arkansas Press as a single volume, SAPPHICS AND UNCERTAINTIES), THE COLOR WHEEL confidently establishes Steele not only as the premiere metrical poet of his generation, but also as one of the very best poets writing in English today.

THE COLOR WHEEL takes its title from one of the volume's central poems, "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Child," a witty and wise meditation that begins with a description of a small child coloring with crayons and segues smoothly into the poet's memory of first seeing a color wheel, a spectrum of choices not only for the budding artist, but also, on a metaphorical level, for the poet and reader. The poem ends with one of the most beautiful passages I've seen in recent poetry: "You're off and traveling through the wheel/Of contrasts and of complements,/Where every shade divides and blends,/Where you find those that you prefer,/Where being is not linear,/But bright and deep, and never ends."

This enticing invitation to choose freely from the world's variety extends to Steele's entire collection, which ranges from a mock-Stevensian anecdote about a sugar bowl to a sobering recollection of doomed Holsteins in "Georgics." The Horatian alcaics of "Luck," in which the poet confronts the good fortunes of others,complements the mildly brooding blank verse of "Pacific Rim," in which the poet hints at the luckless victims of 20th century brutality. Yet the tenor of the collection is decidedly hopeful, and perhaps no title (or poem) in the book better exemplifies this than the charming "Beatitudes, While Setting Out the Trash."

Steele's art, which frequently explores the interrelationships between nature and human nature, regards human consciousness as fragile and in need of preservation. His superb meditation on "The Library" draws upon and condenses some of the material to be found in his magisterial prose critique of the free verse movement, MISSING MEASURES, and yet the emphasis in this poem is on the wit of foraging squirrels as well as the cleverness of archiving humans.

The volume contains a number of exquisite lyrics, including the opening "Aurora" with its subtle echoes of Valery, and the delicate homage to Thom Gunn, "Vermont Spring." Readers who admire the poetry of Edwin Arlington Robinson will certainly enjoy "Cory in April," a poem about a drunken homeless man who was once a boxer, and admirers of Frost will be tickled by the humorous and moving "Fae," one of the most memorable poems in Steele's outstanding ouevre.

With his flawless ear, deft rhymes, and penetrating intelligence,Steele is already a poet for the ages. Read THE COLOR WHEEL and SAPPHICS AND UNCERTAINTIES to discover why.

I've known Jack for years, and he always worked at writing but considered himself more acoomplished as a painter. The quality of the writing, the sensitivity to the rhythms of nature, breath, language, the soul, the colors, the honesty and intellectual and artistic maturity, all are fabuously exhibited throughout this uncompromising book.

This is the writing of a man walking steadily in beauty. In many ways, this book brings poetry along in that it combines the muscle of humanity with the inexplicable image suddenly realized. It has all of the best qualities of poetry without the pretentious opacity that has alienated so much of poetry's potential audience.

"Breakfast in the Shadows" for example shows the man with nature. But the man is Jack Bartlett, not Robert Frost. Here's an example of what amazes me: "At ensuing dusk the light wilts like a frost touched rose . . . the green is gone from the rhododendrun./the clouds go to pink/and tease the forest with a sprinkle,/the frogs say, 'Yes, Yes' . . ."

Man can be at peace without despising all others! What an amazing and hopeful concept. What a heck of a book of poems.

It was an exceptional treat to read Mr. Bartlett's book, Colors. Reading his poetry took a while since I felt compelled to close my eyes and envision the pictures he had painted. I found myself traveling down some of the same paths that he had written about, even though for me those paths were travelled a few years ago. There are some constant truths in life and I believe Mr. Bartlett has captured them in his book. Bravo!

Jack Bartlett's poetry will become classic. His keen insight draws the reader into his world and causes them to see things through his eyes. Common themes in his poems are color, water and nature. One poem, tucked halfway through the book deals with Sept 11. But not all of the poems are so serious...he pokes fun at The New Yorker at one point, which I suppose is comic relief for the lyrical seriousness of the other poems.

The very best poets use words like the very best painters use color, form, texture, and composition. Jack Bartlett employs his verse on the pages of Colors, like a kind of verbal Rembrandt is a series of memorably impressive poems that linger in the mind well after the volume is placed back upon the shelf. Trout Water: In cold water with a line/it is not just the fish or the catch,/not the mountains cracked by water,/not the boulders painted with impasto moss,/the hemlocks and spruces hanging/over deep eddies and shallow shoals;/it is not just the rocks polished/like marbles at my feet,/the offerings of cold springs/and fern framed seeping pools.//It is not the complex circle/of creature dependencies,/not the wonder of where all this water goes,/but the water itself, the perpetual flow,/shaping all in its path, even trees.//It is knowing that if I were a fish/and had a wish it would be/to be a cutthroat waiting here timelessly,/methodically, for a caddis fly to come my way.

This is a collection of 72 poems written by a painter with a flair for visualization and a love of words. Sensually and intelligently written, the reader has a glimpse into the mind of a visual artist as he evaluates his experience of nature and the human situation. Concise, enriched, filled with internal rhyme and metric devices it invites a slow reading and thoughtful contemplation. "Colors" misses no beats with it's crafted insights. I had not been aware of this gifted poet previously, but after reading the book in its entirety I was left asking for more of this richness. Particularly for the visual artist there are lines here that remain on the mind and make one's own creativity seem more worthwhile.

As the years go by, and my range of knowledge grows, I find myself being drawn back again and again to John Donne. Unlike one of the previous reviewers, I do share his religion and even practice a more modern version of his denomination. Still there is something more there. As far as comparing Donne with Eliot, although I think Eliot was a great poet, there is more depth of feeling in Donne's work. However, one must consider that Eliot put his wife away (literally) when she became an embarassment because her mental problems. Since these turned out to be hormonally driven, this betrayal is all the more tragic. Donne, on the other hand, after years of carousing, found his soul mate and his one true love and continued to be devoted to her years after she died. As great as this love was, his writings show that, although he was afraid to trust the promises made by his God, he loved him even more. Now, that is devotion and that is the root of wonderful and beautiful thoughts he put to paper.

Few words of poetry are more quoted and misquoted than John Donne's "the Bell tolls for thee". This volume contains some of the most beautiful verse ever written in the English language. Donne Was a giant and his language while archaic is beautiful and resonates over the centuries.

A wonderful addition to anyone's library.

John Donne, the greatest poet to write in the English language.
John Donne's poetry cries truth from blood.
John Donne writes with blood
Blood is spirit.
The mind works against the spirit.

Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

I agree with all the positive things said about Donne on this page. Also, this book's great strength is its breadth, including poems, letters, sermons, and other writings of Donne. One gets all the poems and most of his available prose. The only difficulty I had is that all of the poems are presented without any effort to modernize the spelling of words. Often, this distracts from a more perfect enjoyment of Donne's wit, sentiment, conceits and emotions. For those who might find antiquated spelling a distraction, I recommend they find another edition.

Although I care less about his prose, John Donne wrote some very impressive and intuitive so-called love poetry, as well as religious poems that I like. A master of metaphor, he also shows great range of emotions, insight, and passion. My favorite work is his "divine poems" and his "songs and sonnets". Some really beautiful use of language and wise "deep" sentiments. The elegies also have some wonderful lines.

David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding Heart"