A Billy Collins poem is instantly recognizable. "Using simple, understandable language," notes USA Today, the two-term U.S. Poet Laureate "captures ordinary life-its pleasure, its discontents, its moments of sadness and of joy." His everyman approach to writing resonates with readers everywhere and generates fans who would otherwise never give a poem a second glance. Now, in this stunning new collection, Collins touches on a greater array of subjects-love, death, solitude, youth, and aging-delving deeper than ever before. Ballistics comes at the reader full force with moving and playful takes on life. Drawing inspiration from the world around him and from such poetic forebears as Robert Frost, Paul Valéry, and eleventh-century poet Liu Yung, Collins drolly captures the essence of an ordinary afternoon: All I do these drawn-out days is sit in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge where there are no pheasants to be seen and, last time I looked, no ridge. Collins reflects on his solitude: If I lived across the street from myself and I was sitting in the dark on the edge of the bed at five o'clock in the morning, I might be wondering what the light was doing on in my study at this hour. And he meditates on the effects of love: It turns everything into a symbol like a storm that breaks loose in the final chapter of a long novel. And it may add sparkle to a morning, or deepen a night when the bed is ringed with fire. As Collins strives to find truth in the smallest detail, readers are given a fascinating, intimate glimpse into the heart and soul of a brilliantly thoughtful man and exemplary poet.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Deep poetry:
Collins poetry is always deep, sophisticated and insightful.
I particularly love "The Four-Moon Planet," "Vermont, Early November," and "The Future." Collins reflects in this manner on his solitude:
"All I do these drawn-out days
is sit in my kitchen at Pheasant Ridge
where there are no pheasants to be seen
and, last time I looked, no ridge." This is what he writes about love: It turns everything into a symbol
like a storm that breaks loose
in the... more info
Infants of the brain:
This is the first book of poetry I have read by the former Poet Laureate of the United States. His poems are charming and whimsical and fun and completely accessible. Simple observations about the life's minutiae. While some might sneer at poetry that anyone can understand and enjoy, Collins has made a concerted effort to write just that. My favorite poems in the book are "The Four-Moon Planet," "Vermont, Early November," and "The Future." I found a line here or there, usually the more self-reflexive... more info
My kind of poetry:
I best enjoy this poetry in metered doses; I allow myself two or three poems in an evening reading, next to the crackle of a fire in the wood stove. Then I re-read and savor those selections over a few days before moving on. The hook was "Adage," his poem oft-recited on various public radio shows. But two others that speak to me are "The Poems of Others," and "The Four-Moon Planet." There will be more as I work my way through this great collection.
Billy - better than ever!:
If you know his work, you will not be dissapointed with Billy's latest effort - still beautiful writing, witty, clever and evocative. If you don't know Billy Collins' work - this is a great place to start!
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