The Humming Birds [Paperback]

Lucinda Roy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1995

The fifth winner of the Eighth Mountain Poetry Prize, selected by Lucille Clifton.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"What isn't water in us must be bone; /what isn't weeping must be what remains/when weeping's done." Generations of women's stories have pretty much dried the well, but what is left where tears came from is an ore of wisdom, of truth. Roy (Wailing the Dead to Sleep, Bogle L'Ouverture, 1988) allows us a glimpse of the world through the eyes of a slave, or through the eyes of a contemporary woman remembering Africa, remembering her dead mother, remembering nights of passion and days of ordinary living in an extraordinary world. Whether framed by the bombed-out streets of London or the grandeur of the Virginia plantation, these poems are sparked by life and living, even in death: "You, the rose, stay fresh under the dirt/ like a cluster of white, scented stars...." Here is celebration in every aspect of life, even its ending: "When I die, whatever form I take will be close/ to song." This fine collection, which was selected by Lucille Clifton as the winner of the 1995 Eighth Mountain Poetry Prize, is highly recommended.?Louis McKee, Painted Bride Arts Ctr., Philadelphia
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 150 pages
• Publisher: The Eighth Mountain Press (September 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 093337738X
• ISBN-13: 978-0933377387
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,048,888 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book of poems filled with understanding...., August 5, 2001

By 

T. M. Powers "Br. Tim Powers, OFM" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Humming Birds (Paperback)

Lucinda Roy is one of the best poets I have ever read. I was introduced to her through her poem "Genesis," which appears in this volume and remains one of my favorite poems. Roy has the uncanny ability to describe the situation of modern (or post-modern) human beings without getting into all that garbage about modernism and post-modernism. From describing her sense of loss at the death of her mother to her hopes for her son, she gives honest words and rhythm to human experience and emotion. Isn't that what poetry is supposed to do?

5.0 out of 5 stars absolutely beautiful, February 20, 2006

By 

Chris Macdonald Dennis (St. Paul, MN U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Humming Birds (Paperback)

This was one of the most beautiful books of poetry I have ever read. I am a bit of philistine so I am new to the poetry genre. This collection has shown me that I have made the right decision in reading poetry.

6 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, July 8, 2001

By 

Alfred Jay Wood (Canton, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Humming Birds (Paperback)

I was looking for a book on Hummingbirds. There was no information suggesting that I was buying a book of poems.