When braving any new book of poems -- particularly by an author you're not too familiar with -- it's best to brace yourself and expect the worst. This needn't involve cynicism. Indded, you probably shouldn't be opening the book in the first place if you aren't, on some deep level, already hoping for the best -- that is, the discovery of a great poem. But hope should remain on that deep level, well-protected, until the shell that shields it is genuinely jarred.
- Jason Guriel, "Going Negative", Poetry, March 2009
No comments:
Post a Comment