Poetry Books

In my own opinion, Elizabeth Barrett Browning at her best and most seductive; lie there reading them in bed and let them ravish you! To read them, so intimately sweet as they seem, is almost to feel EBB herself there, her small form snuggling happily in your arms. Of course nobody would have known better than EBB herself what dulcet love songs these sonnets were, since she had never intended them for publication. They were secret, often quite confessional, love poems she wrote about her Robert while he was courting her, all unawares, and then for awhile after their marriage, in which they continued carrying on as two of recorded history's most passionate lovebirds.

It was only after Robert Browning somehow discovered and read them that he managed to convince EBB that they were really too good not to be published. He was right, of course. Even so, Elizabeth was sensitive enough about the matter to want to screen the work off under a somewhat misdirecting title. SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGESE might hope to create a casual impression that they were foreign translations of some mysterious sort ... which, of course, obviously they aren't, but who's philologically analysing; read and enjoy!

In fact, the name settled on was a mere lover's in-joke. Because of her somewhat exotic looks and olive-colored skin, Browning's pet name for EBB, other than the baby-talk "Ba," was "my Portugese;" hence the title. The collection was tremendously successful and deservedly so, and this edition of it, gorgeously illustrated, is very nice indeed.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote these sonnets for her husband and fellow poet Robert Browning. She is capable to move and haunt without saccharine kitsch & schmalz. Her sincerity and intensity are an example to everyone who wants to write poetry or song lyrics. Two thumbs up!

This book of sonnets and poems is just wonderful. Elizabeth Barrett Browning's writing is able to get to the very heart of the reader with honesty and beauty. This collection really speaks to the romantic soul with passion and truth. I find her writings to be incredibly moving and this volume touched me deeply.

These sonnets ease my tension when I read them.

My ex girlfriend, Ashleigh, gave this to me years ago, before she was forced by her family to marry this guy. Long story but she sent this book to me and signed the inside.
Next to Shakespeare, this is the most bittersweet and poetic
poems of love that I have ever read.
It was said that a husband and wife team wrote these so one can only imagine how passionate their marriage was, huh?

Mark Doty in his latest collection of poems, continues to delight and entertain us with his brilliant style of writing that is elegant, compassionate, and unabashedly, and proudly gay. These poems are of a universal language, speaking to all sexual orientations, for they are not all gay themed verses. Doty's poems are always a real pleasure to read for they speak from the heart on subjects that are important and of interest to many of us who share his same ideals, thoughts, and feelings. I have always been a fan of his poems for that reason. As he describes the degradation of Walt Whitman's vision of a democratic America in "Letter to Walt Whitman", or of the joy and entertainment that "Little Kaiser" brings to so many people in "Private Life", I can not help but smile at the joy he sees and experiences in trying to get close to Whitman, and in exploring the inner thoughts of "Little Kaiser". I have to admit I am a little prejudiced toward these two lovely poems, for each has references to companion parrots. I loved the poem, "Letter to Walt Whitman" that Doty wrote after touring Whitman's home in Camden. He was trying to find something there that would make Whitman seem more real and still alive. He did when he discovered Whitman's parrot preserved by the taxidermist's wax, and wrote, "Then one thing made you seem alive: your parrot." And in "Private Life" we learn all about "Little Kaiser" the African Grey parrot, who has been a fixture for many years at the local headshop on Commercial Street in Provincetown. Doty has a way of describing all life beings with the beauty they so rightly deserve.

This sixth book of verse by Mark Doty is one I will be returning to many, many times. The poems in this collection cover a wide variety of subjects, and this creates an opportunity for everyone to find one of interest to them that will definitely become a favorite. The several poems he writes about Provincetown, a town I have come to care about and call a second home over the past quarter century, are my favorites. Doty seems to have the same feelings for this special place that I have. It is the beauty of his words that keep me looking forward to and eagerly awaiting his next collection of poems. A Real Pleasure!!

Joe Hanssen

I typically don't raise issue with others' reviews. After all, most have been taught that a poem can have many interpretations. Yet to think of "Private Life" as a compassionate description of a beautiful caged creature is missing the point entirely, I think. In the first stanza, the speaker describes Little Kaiser (a caged parrot in a popular tourist destination) as being "confronted" by the noisy hecklers and insensitive tourists who pass him every day, acknowledging, "He doesn't seem to mind," the operative word there being "seem." Two stanzas later, we learn that his cage carries the warning, "I bite." [Obviously, he does mind.]

Then the speaker passively suggests, "He couldn't be said to be/lonely; all day the world comes to him." How could anyone who gets so much attention be lonely? When the speaker then describes the pedestrians as an "endless procession of faces, only a few of them known," the parrot takes on a much more human quality, and that's where the parrot turns into a metaphorical vehicle to describe the human condition in general, but a gay man's condition quite specifically. This metaphor gathers momentum in the last 5 or 6 stanzas, describing his tail as "stunning red,/a frank indulgence of the private life." [wink, nudge]

When the speaker shifts focus from the subject to the speaker ("What does Kaiser dream?"), (s)he develops a more philosophical posture rather than the one of the passive journalist from the beginning of the poem. First we are asked to imagine what Kaiser's not dreaming ("Probably no original paradise;/this little trooper was born in a shop."), invoking of course the story of the heterosexual, biblical Creation, of which we gay men obviously don't have an equivalent. Rather, we have been asked to acquire a gay culture that we're repeatedly relegated to and blindly accept.

The speaker then asks, "should he prefer a single,/perfect other?"...pointing to the cultural stereotype (accepted by gays and straights alike) of the idea that gay men are promiscuous and not easily tied down: "one human form/after another bent over him/in momentary delight, while he takes//their measure, and mouths a limited vocabulary, all greeting and praise." But that's enough communication for our parrot/gay man, the speaker's last description giving it to us most plainly just in case we missed it already: "promiscuous singer, whose tongue/lifts and curls out to the world, performing/all night in his blanketed cage."

Doty has dealt with similar subjects before, lamenting over such gay conundrums as the "austere code of tricks" or that "we are all on display in this town, sweet machines, powerless, consumed." But with "Private Life," [even the title suggests you look beyond the parrot, as Doty's title has] he's turned the sensitive, curious descriptions of a gay man at odds with his own "culture" in addition to the world itself into a more honest, indeed, unflinching, look at the way we move and process and feel...or (unfortunately) do none of these things.

Doty's sixth book of poetry shows his elegant and strong style while exploring both public and private life. These poems luxuriate on the tongue and in the mind, and boldly paint vivid images in the readers' minds. Winner of a Lambda Literary Award for poetry, "Source" is a delightful example of Doty's works.

I don't mean to sound cranky, but I'm tired of hearing the words "beautiful" and "moving" in relationship to the work of Mark Doty. Of course his poems are these things, but they're much, much more. They're rigorous in their thinking; they're relentless in their questions about perception and mortality, and revolutionary in their evocation of a social and metaphysical vision. This is a poetry of ideas. It's a poetry that rolls up its sleeves and takes its reader gently--but FIRMLY--down "into the source of spring."

Mark Doty's, one of America's premiere poets, has done it again with his newest collection of literary gems, "Source".

Doty's poems cover a range of topics, from dead wildlife to working out, all exude a personal flair that enlightens and illuminates our existance while sharing his. His poetry both confounds and inspires; you read and question the meaning, and then, find a diamond mine of a line you cannot let go, and mentally ponder the treasure. Some poets aggreviate by not allowing access into their lives or meaning with their work; Doty opens the door, doesn't shy away from honesty or complex thought, and allows us to wander through his charming maze of words.

As a reader of his work, it's nice to see him returning to old familiar themes, especially those that mention Wally, a heart's love who perished due to AIDS. While we may write and write about those songs that inspire us, perhaps there can be never enough said about some things, and Doty casts a beautiful literary light on those topics with each passing year.

Source is an excellent add to your poetry collection.

If you love poetry, this book will energize you, and if you are a writer, it will also humble you. Inspiring, funny, visual, thought-provoking -- an absolutely wonderful book!

I'm not sure how I stumbled across this book, but it's one of my favorite finds. I can't recommend it enough.

McGrath's poetry combines the lyricism and lines of Whitman with 500 channels of cable television. Even though I hate the word "postmodern," that's probably the best adjective for this book. It is truly a stunning statement to the author's knowledge and grasp of American culture.

It's refreshing to see a poet who displays almost no allegiance to formal styles and is stunning in his originality.

I must confess two of my opinions concerning Mc Grath's "Spring Comes to Chicago": 1) it is an often confusing collection of lyrical thoughts and flashy originality, and: 2) it is truly one of the most gorgeous experiments in contemporary poetical forms.

I agree with one of the previous reviewers that Mc Grath immediately reminds one of Whitman and Ginsberg, especially in his use of the catalogue-length lines and his often satirical commentary on American life and living. However, he seems to lean more towards Ginsberg than Whitman, for the American Bard has not Mc Grath's and Ginsberg's sense of humor and irony. The title poem (or should I say section?) "Spring Comes to Chicago" is the closest to Ginsberg as this collection gets...the opening lines are especially familar in cadence to the famous lines from Ginsberg's polemic, "Howl."

Nevertheless, while Mc Grath's lines often remind readers of other poets (did everyone catch Williams in there too?), Mc Grath's collage of prose pieces are used in an awe-inspring and masterful way. They are not, as someone noted in a review on his "Road Atlas," simply journal sketches or a rough blue-print for the spirit of this poem. Instead, they are isolated moments where philosphical, scientific, or literary speculation bring us back to the matters the poem discusses.

My favorite device of the entire volume is the what I term "the Squirrel stitch." Mc grath playfully and sensitively writes his meditations on the habits of these creatures, sewing a few lines here, then there--- almost as if too unite the thought patterns of the poem with a common element of praise and bewilderment.

Anyway, enough of my banter. Read this collection for yourself. You will see how clearly it stands out from the muck being written and sold today. Mc Grath should stick to his guns! If he remains true to the voices recorded in the lines of "Spring Comes to Chicago" he is sure to do something more important and amazing in a future collection.

Two years ago, I sat down with this thin book and a bottle of expensive bourbon. I remember becoming aware of my breathing as I read "The Golden Angel Pancake House" and soon, without having touched any liquor yet, my head started to spin. I had forgotten that words could have such power and irresistible momentum. Only Whitman had ever done that for me.

The following day, I read "The Bob Hope Poem" in one sitting, pulled along by the language at great speed. The thing is a glorious beast of a poem, a swooping roller coaster that raises your spirits to nose-bleed heights, sends you careening downhill under 5 g's of sadness, and then redeems you with pure happiness. Never mind "I laughed, I cried" - you will gain a new understanding of emotion.

That someone can write like this is inspiring and renewing; it reminds us why poetry matters.

Arthur has succesfully bared his heart and soul in this extremley personal collection of poems. He has taken his life expiriences and put them out for the world to read. I have learned alot from him and his collection and cannot wait for his next collection to be completed.

I am nearly finished reading this book after having it lent to me by a dear friend and I am so glad that 1)I have this dear friend with an eye for endearing literature, and that 2)This book was produced. As a writer myself and a literary critic for the past ten years, this book has got to be the first look, the first test, the first glimpse into who a writer is, what are his passions, his past, his dreams, his aspiriations, his STORY. Truly unique and a page turner that I can not put down (I don't believe that many could)you easily see the innocence in the beginning (remember if this guy is like 22 now, he was 13--read that again--13 when he started writing his stuff), the sweetness, the unobliterated sugar of tender youth. Then we climax, more and more, harder and harder, higher and higher and slam dunk ourselves into heavy tough questions and concerns, dissertions and wonderings, personal philosophies about homosexuality, grown up, having friends, the pain and the lust of friendships, etc (some of these questioned answered in poetic theory, others are left with a sense of questioning or slight-knowing) it denoues to a brilliant cliffhanger--what else? There has got to be more! You can't leave it like this! Where are we going now? You get through it, and you see that this book is not just an autobiographical look of a human life in poetry, but just it's PROEM! I can't wait for the next book--and you can not wait to buy this one NOW.

I purchased this book from another outlet and you will not believe this guy. Arthur, if you're reading this, and to anyone else reading this review, you KNOW about LIFE, you know about love and you have felt it all, I swear. This book is the epitome of autobiography, new american gay poetry, reminiscent of Ginsberg, Cummins and Plath, I was just astounded through many of the very VERY VERY deep, philosophical, personal, spiritual, emotional, mental, psychological threads woven between each poem to create a story of not only his life, but a story that can be accessable to many many others, Gay or straight. BUY this book--you will not regret it, you will really enjoy it and I really can not wait for it's follow up. This writer is amazing--and should be hailed Ginsberg's love child or Keroac's brainwave; No one else like him, and no one can touch him. BRAVO!!

WOW! This is trully original. A really great ride of a book, about a life, still continuing on, in stark abstract, deep meaningful poetry. This guy is going to go places. He is the next big ... writer, I guarantee it. Buy this book--or wish dearly that you didn't!!

I found this book to be a wonderful adventure through some of life's hardest lessons, tribulations, and emotions. The colorful metaphors made it exciting and interesting, the kind of book that you can't put down! I recommend this book to anyone! There are a lot of excellent theories and beliefs expressed in these skillful writings! Everyone should read it!

This is a beautiful book, inside and out. The poems are thoughtful and well-written, and the cover makes a beautiful addition to any library. The poet's personality shines through his work.

This book is gentle, tender, thoughtful, and engaging. I've met the author, and it was like meeting the real Santa Claus. The man is as kind and good as his poems. The poetry is interspersed with small amounts of intimate prose speaking directly to the reader, and I felt, when I read, as though I were sitting with the author in his kitchen conversing of innermost subjects.
The quality of this book is amazing. The designer has built a wonderful keepsake.

I am delighted with this small volume of poetry. It is poignant and wonderful. I have bought enough copies to send to friends and family as gifts. Beautifully written, beautifully printed, it is nice to read before bed.

R. E. Smith brings the reality of life into perspective with words that will melt your heart and provide an understanding for what you didn't know you could possibly feel. His writings of friendship, romance, life, and love bring your emotions to life. A Sweeter Understanding makes a wonderful gift for people of all ages...a treasure to give and to enjoy.

A sweeter understanding. Isn't that what we all want and need? Friends, family, love, life--connectedness. Smith's poetry has helped me find it.

Here is my favorite poem from _A Sweeter Understanding_.

"Love's Muted Memory"

The breath of love expires
just beyond the ear of anticipation.
A perfect union is realized
in the understanding relationship
of the ear
and the softly uttered sigh.

................................

I rated this book at four stars because I am holding that fifth star in sweet anticipation of Smith's next volume of poetry, _The Window Ledge_. Write on, Mr. Smith.

I found this book because we love the illustrator, but the best part of the book is a design feature. The Table of Contents has a picture next to each story title, so my toddler can choose the story he wants based on the picture. Ingenious! Sure to be a bestseller if reprinted. (On a side note, the illustrations were a disappointment for Mr. Rojankovsky but the book is still a winner.)

Every child should have this book. I had this as a child and I am now buying one for my grandchildren. The art work is amazing and brings the tales to life. This is one of those books you never forget.

I remember this book from my childhood, especially for the illustrations, which certainly must have precipitated my leanings toward art. I am now an art educator and want very much to find The Tall Book, not only for my classroom, but for my first grandchild as well.

I can only repeat the sentiments of the other critics here, including the one from Seattle. This is the best collection of nursery tales I had from my own childhood back in the 50s. As a mother of a little boy, I always bought these new in the 80s for birthday party gifts. This book should NEVER go out of print!!

I agree, this book needs to be back in print. It's been handed down in my family for more than 50 years, and was always my standard new baby gift, too. Now my daughter is having her first child and I can't buy it!
The shape of the book is easy for little hands to manage, the pictures memorable, and the stories are told well and brief; perfect for the pre-schooler it's designed for. There's not another one on the market that can hold a candle to it.

This book has great text to support syllable development. Pictures are amazing! Children will love it. Good for every early level classroom and home with your children.

My son "reads" this book cover to cover. Chants the rhythms without the book around and plays his dad's drums to the beat when I read it! I can't say enough about how fun this book is. To the author, Steve - keep up the great work!!!

My three year old and I love to sing the book as a song. He remembers the pictures and the rhythms.

I read to first graders every week. The other day I brought in Tanka Tanka Skunk and it was an immediate hit. The children loved the rhythm and quickly got into the story. They loved it so much I read it again the next time that I saw them and now plan to use it as a "happening" to share with other classes.

My 2 and 3 year old love this book. They both pound out the rhythm as we read it and they get very excited about reading it faster and faster and trying to keep up with the rhythm. Not a great bed time story since it tends to get them riled up instead of calmed down. It's one of the few books in their collecton that I don't get bored reading over and over again. Like another reviewer I kept checking this out at the library and finally decided to buy it. The illustrations are large and easy to see and have helped my kids learn the names of different animals.

I bought this because my son came home from Kindergarten one day having memorized the poem. We had to have the book! The poem is so sweet, and the illustrations are charming.

This book is the greatest! The fun rhyming poem keeps my 15 month-old son entertained for hours. He loves the bright pictures and helping me turn the pages. It's such a short and catchy poem that even when he turns the pages quickly I can keep up because I know it by heart. Even our family members can recite along!!! The best part is that when I ask him 'Where's the Puffin?' he can find the book no matter where he is. A fun and great choice!

The charming language and addictive rhythm captured my 3-year-old daughter's imagination. "Then along came the fishes and they said, 'If you wishes, you can have us for playmates, instead of for tea.'" Not only did she memorize it all on her own, she loves to play with the words, inserting various other food items for the pancakes which the puffin ultimately chooses instead of eating fish.

Adroitly written by Florence Page Jaques with an "easy reader" text, and enhanced with the artwork of Shari Halpern, There Once Was A Puffin is a brightly illustrated picture book about a lonely puffin. At first he ate fish, but he had no one to play with - so he befriended the fish he once ate, and learned to eat pancakes instead. An upbeat story told with energy and gusto, There Once Was A Puffin is a welcome addition to any school or community library collection.

I love this book. My children are now in college but I can still recite most of the poem. I would love to have the words to the poem if anyone is willing to e-mail them to me. If this book was in stock I would buy several to have on hand as presents and keep at least one for myself.

One of the best contemporary poets writing, and a force to be reckoned with. Buy this book.

This is a world of brilliance--but also with great weird humor.

The feeling grows as one turns the pages that Peter Shippy is one of the most original poets now writing in American. While the external surface of the poems is busy--byte-n surrealism to sci-fi baroque--they are secure and madly intelligent. No matter how wild his reality--and we have lovesick aliens, chop-socky crickets, a brain in a vat, a dog who digs Pier Paolo--these poems are a grand thing happening. A virtuoso verbal performance.

Shippy puts the anti back in anti-poet. Daring and glorious.

Funny, eccentric, very smart. Tough, too. But I like my poems tough. ...

I bought this book on the advice of a former friend, and I still can't get over the colossal waste of time I invested in it. I shudder to think that if I had died in a horrible accident while reading this book, it would have been the last thing I ever read.

Each piece stands as its own monument to drivel, but taken as a whole, this collection is a masterpiece of unbearable whimpers obliterating unwritten truths. You could learn more about love in a whorehouse. Or a crackhouse, for that matter. My god, whose idea was this wretched tome? And aren't there laws against this kind of tripe?

O.K., the piece by Michael Burke is a gem, but its luster is lost in this tar-black bucket of muck. And who invited that Edward Underhill guy to throw in his two cents' worth? That floundering piece is a miasma of asinine cliches unparalleled in the history of western literature. It would have made more sense to me if the writer (hah!) had presented it in Esperanto. If he is the same Underhill who works as a waiter at that little bistro on Lunt Avenue, he should focus on his tables and leave writing to those whose literary background goes beyond Bazooka Joe bubble gum wrappers.

That's the best and the worst, and the rest aren't worth mentioning, so I won't.

Anyway, buy this book. The Michael Burke piece is worth the few dollars. When you are done with that, maybe you can test my theory and translate Underhill into Esperanto. Just imagine - quantum literature in a universal language. The possibilities abound.

It's rare to find a collection of stories, poems and plays that keeps a reader as thoroughly involved as this one. Good writers that they are, the contributors to this anthology succeed in reminding us that love is a complex emotion, and that those who are touched by it can just as easily be redeemed as they can be destroyed. As with any anthology, some pieces remain in memory longer than others, yet all are worthy of one's attention. What's more, the journey from first page to last enriches both heart and mind. So much so that this reader awaits the Press's next release with happy anticipation.

It's difficult to find an anthology that has as much stopping power as this one. Reading it, I was impressed not only by the diversity of the authorial voices, but also by their veracity. Each story, poem and play seems to have come straight from the gut. What's more, the contributing writers help to remove our blinders; particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. Love, they argue, is nothing less than a battlefield on which each of us daily chances victory or defeat.Those seeking to enter the contest fully armed would do well to buy this book.

Anthologies are not my usual choice of reading material, but as this was recommended to me, I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. While I could not relate to some of the pieces here, I enjoyed the underlying topic immensely. The poetry, drama, and short stories were a good blend. The Thing About Love Is... an enjoyable and fast read, but has a peculiar lingering effect that required that I return to it for further exploration. It's a perfect book to read from the relative comfort and safety of your best chair, where you know that you can dip into the joy and angst of love and for once, walk away unscathed.

If your idea of love is limited to visions of puppies and balloons, The Thing About Love Is... probably not for you. In Polyphony Press' first effort, the heavy topic of love is tackled in gritty, gutsy pieces that cut to core of this complex emotion. Sometimes it's bliss, sometimes it's bizarre, and quite often it hurts, but regardless of its form, love is always intriguing. This anthology is in keeping with that notion. With a variety of styles and voices, the works featured here are unanimous in their ability to draw the reader in and keep him hooked. It is truly a great read that may challenge one's personal definition of love. Call it an enjoyable experiment in mind expansion!