A Pentecost of Finches: New and Selected PoemsParaclete Press, 2006 - 179 pages "Nothing is unseen or untouched here," the poet Robert Lowell wrote of Robert Siegel's poetry, and it is equally true of this new collection. Moving up the chain of being from inchworm to angel, they celebrate being in all its aspects, from unset'tling glimpses of the abyss to union with nature and that which transcends it--from oracular beasts to ordinary people, from the seismic love of boar and sow to a surgeon's reflections on a near-death experi'ence and "the last tantrum of a dying star." On the way they explore the mystery of evil, the meaning of history, our own mysterious quests, and the human search for transformative joy. His poems rejoice in the being of each particular thing, finding epiphanies in the ordinary, inviting us to step outside ourselves into an "ecstasy of particulars, ? whether daughters ?kicking the water to flame, ? ?the star in the dawn's throat, ? the red ?tomato's pulsing alarm, ? or the silent ?syllable of the moon.' |
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Barry Moser beast birds blue Borrowdale breath burning carry cherry climb cloud cold crawl cries Daddy Long Legs damp dance dark dust ears earth EASY RIDER edge endless everything face farmhouse near Porlock feet field fire flashing flesh float flowers forever gather ghost GIANT PANDA glittering gold grass green hair hang head heart heavens inside invisible lake leaps leaves legs lifting light listen live moon Morning's at Seven mouth move naked Nefertiti never night nose Paraclete Press Paul Mariani pauses Pharisee pink poet Poetry pool pulling rise Robert Siegel root shadow shake shape silver Silverfish Simple Simon singing skin sleep smell smile snow SOLAR ROOM soul Spring Peepers stand stare stars stone sweet teeth things thought throat tongue trees turn voice waiting walk white summer Widener Library wind window wings word yellow