The Actual Moon, The Actual Stars (Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize) [Paperback]

Chris Forhan (Author), Robert Cording (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2, 2003 | Series: Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize

"Over and over again, these poems shape the tensions that arise from Stevens' 'ever restless mind' and the world around us . . . Only the human speaker asks 'what is one to do' on a perfectly beautiful night when a fern 'rooted at the road's edge/casts the shadow of an infant's ribs.' 'No Comment,' the title of this collection's first poem, is Forhan's wonderfully wry answer . . . Thankfully, Chris Forhan cannot hold his tongue, and, in the poems that follow-often lit by a playful sense of humor and a voice that is truly engaging-he creates a landscape that is both intensely physical and replete with the age-old questions." -- From the Foreword

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Forhan was raised in Seattle and educated at Washington State University (B.A.), the University of New Hampshire (M.A.), and the University of Virginia (M.F.A.). His first book, Forgive Us Our Happiness, won the Bakeless Prize. He has also published two chapbooks, x and Crumbs of Bread. His poetry has won a Pushcart Prize and has appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, New England Review, Parnassus, and other magazines. He teaches at Auburn University and in the Warren Wilson M.F.A. Program. He lives in Auburn, Alabama. ROBERT CORDING is the Barrett Family Professor of Creative Writing at the College of the Holy Cross and the author of four books of poems: Life-list, What Binds Us to this World, Heavy Grace, and Against Consolation. He lives in Connecticut.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Over and over again, these poems shape the tensions that arise from Stevens' 'ever restless mind' and the world around us . . . . Only the human speaker asks 'what is one to do' on a perfectly beautiful night when a fern 'rooted at the road's edge/casts the shadow of an infant's ribs.' 'No Comment,' the title of this collection's first poem, is Forhan's wonderfully wry answer . . . . Thankfully, Chris Forhan cannot hold his tongue, and, in the poems that follow—often lit by a playful sense of humor and a voice that is truly engaging—he creates a landscape that is both intensely physical and replete with the age-old questions. (from the Foreword)

Late Meditation

Night again, and I'm not impressed:

the blurred cedar, blowzy in her black dress,

the bat's manic acrobatics—he tries too hard—

the hooligan raccoon routing in the brush,

and above all this the familiar, gaudy

glitter of the stars. Once I felt invited

to praise these things. Once I felt obliged.

Inviolable night, I said. Love's rustling curtain.

My hornbook, my slow ship to stow away on.

It took a long time to discover night

is a slate one writes on with the chalk

of desire. Look. The moon is thin as a dime.

It goes, and the sun comes up shrunken, low,

something to poke with a broom

and plunk, hissing, into a water bucket.

What I said, I'd like to take it back.

Product Details

• Paperback: 86 pages
• Publisher: Northeastern (October 2, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555535941
• ISBN-13: 978-1555535940
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,811,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Can't Stop Picking It Up, May 23, 2007

By 

Kevin E. Forhan "Kevin Forhan" (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Actual Moon, The Actual Stars (Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize) (Paperback)

I've had this book for a few years, and have kept it always nearby, but even now I find that I turn to it more and more. These days I'll read a poem or two most nights, and sometimes something in the morning. It's about what it feels like to be in the world, especially if you're the kind to notice just how a particular moist, darkness-laden leaf happens to be hanging just slightly askew on its stem from a particular hedge on a particular given day, and particularly if you happen to be the kind to especially notice and enjoy the words "hedge" and "askew," especially in combination. You know who you are.

--Kevin F.

5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite book of poems, February 22, 2012

By 

Anne - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Actual Moon, The Actual Stars (Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize) (Paperback)

This book is tattered with use and follows me almost daily. I cannot express how these poems move me, how they moved me the first time I read them and continue to move me today. If I had to save one book from a fire it would be this one without question. As a Canadian I had to purchase this book used from Amazon and wait a while to receive it but it was more than worth it. Chris Forhan speaks about the world and existence by zooming in and out. By describing the most minute and tangible things, then those things that cannot be grasped; he brings them to us on the page. The most marvellous book of poetry.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, June 13, 2006

By 

msb "silverlaker1" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Actual Moon, The Actual Stars (Samuel French Morse Poetry Prize) (Paperback)

What a wonderful collection of poems. I found myself reading this book again and again. A must for any personal library, or for anyone who enjoys excellent contemporary poetry.