New and selected poems make an excellent introduction to a fine American poet.
Dixieland piano late at night in a pine woods … an elderly woman's blue dress … a postal clerk dispensing stamps, packaging, and devotion … a ring and a prayer thrown into the River Ping … a Thai lover on the back of a Honda 125 … a man singing in a sidewalk machine shop … an unexpected death …
The author's recent poems were written in Maine, Thailand, and Australia. They continue and extend the work in his three full length collections (each generously sampled here).
The author uses simple words, usually beginning with a description, moving as he writes toward deeper understanding of the subject. "Every poem is a battle against style," he has said, "not to repeat yourself, to let the subject speak with its own voice."
There is something for everyone in this book. The clear open poems have a glow that strengthens on re-reading. A treat for poetry lovers.