Customer Reviews

The Evolution of the Flightless Bird (Yale Series of Younger Poets)

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After attending a reading of Richard Kenney at Bennington in 1985 I fell in love with his work and poetry. He was a gentleman with a rural air who moved the crowd but like Al Gore had a distance that was slightly cold. He delves deep into science and history in his poems. In my instruction manual on poetry I have a section under processes; by describing processes poets enrich their lines and can allude to their own work with more force than usual. Processes stir the mind more than most descriptions. Think of the process of beauty aging; the movie that deals with that theme would not be glam, it would have substance.

Richard Kenney's poems are rich in processes of the universe and of the organic world. There are many unwritten works that he should write. Imagine finding out how a brewery makes beer while following around a brewery drunken romantics who stare into the stars and see what's going on in the cosmos as they kiss. Richard Kenney would be the poet to write that book. This book, however, tends to be too scientific, there is too much of the mind, not enough of the more mysterious working of the heart. That's probably why this book is out of print. With an editor or a sensual collaborator Richard Kenney could write the work of the century.

This is a great read anyway, especially for poets who are temporarily tired of the 20th century masters. Just surf the web while being dazzled by his poetic creations and the book will pay for itself in the process of revelation.