The Andrew Poems (Walt McDonald First-Book Series) [Hardcover]

Shelly Wagner (Author), Walter McDonald (Preface)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0896723194 | ISBN-13: 978-0896723191 | Edition: 1

On a soft summer Virginia evening Shelly Wagner was pushing her five-year-old son in a tire swing in the backyard, idling away the hours between dinner and bedtime. She left him only for a moment, but when she returned Andrew had disappeared. He was found later that night, drowned in the river behind their home. From the depths of grief that followed, Wagner began to write poems—not as therapy, she says, but to see if she could express the range of her experience more fully than the published books she’d read. What emerged from Wagner’s quest is a volume of verse that has comforted and inspired thousands of parents, patients, and other determined survivors. These clear, unflinching poems wherein she evokes the life and death of her five-year-old son are moving and unforgettable. . . . You will remember Andrew as if you had known him, this delightful boy. —RUTH STONE Treasure Follow my hand into this trunk. Examine for yourself its treasure. Lift and read the heavy wooden board, a scrap of lumber on which he scrawled his name— red letters, all capitals, the E backwards. In kindergarten he learned to sign perfectly his many drawings, the jewels of his last will and testament. Try on his brilliant yellow sunglasses. See the world as he saw it—clearly full of hope. Slide your hand up the sleeve of his favorite red shirt as though you were to tickle him. He would laugh. You may cry. Finally, with utmost care, hold what he made in nursery school— a white plaster cast of his hand, fingers spread wide apart as though he were telling you how old he would be when he died.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Again
Andrew And Thomas
Ashley
Birth Of A Child
The Black Birds
The Boxes
Communion
Crazy
The Dance
The Dinner Party
Driving
Dust
Faded
Foxes
The Gold Sofa
The Gorillas
The Grocery Store
A Happy Poem
Home
In The Taxi
The Limousine
Looking For Myself
Mice
My Father
My Garden
My Husband
My Work
Our Song
Passover
The Pearl
Rusty
Shoes
Television
Thirteenth Birthday
Thomas' Birthday
Three Weeks
The Tie
To My Parents
Treasure
Underwater
Voices
Wet
What If?
White Ducks
Your Questions
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

About the Author

Shelly Wagner lives in Norfolk, Virginia, with her husband, John. Her poems have appeared in American Poetry Review, Poetry East, ONTHEBUS, and TriQuarterly.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Texas Tech University Press; 1 edition (January 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0896723194
• ISBN-13: 978-0896723191
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Totally heart moving book on the loss of a child, February 1, 2001

By 

Melissa (MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Andrew Poems (Walt McDonald First-Book Series) (Hardcover)

I've seen Shelly in person and have felt her pain. Her poem "The Boxes" is one of the most amazing poems I've ever read. She knows how to put the pain into words.

I have lost two children in the past 6 years, and Shelly writes what I feel. "Get out of the box....Ben and Matthew."

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful, November 11, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Andrew Poems (Walt McDonald First-Book Series) (Hardcover)

The Andrew Poems by Shelly Wagner take us back to 1984, the drowning of Andrew. Having never written Poetry before, Shelly Wagner grasps us from page one, and doesn't let us go.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart Felt and emotionally correct, September 23, 2007

By 

Richard Trammell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Andrew Poems (Walt McDonald First-Book Series) (Hardcover)

This book has made Mrs.Wagner one of my single most favorite poets. It shows us that there does not have to be a technique or background in poetry to give the world something with as much dept as "The Andrew Poems". I live with my grandmother and when my father passed I have always wonder how it affected her, these pieces have shown me what has gone through her mind and that is something I am very greatful for. If your looking for some dribble light hearted poetry, than this is not for you, but if you want "Poetry" than don't pass this one by.
Richard, TX, 17