Customer Reviews

Say Uncle: Poems

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Transparent, yet fathomless as a crystal ball, these poems continue to speak after countless readings, not yet yielding up their secrets. Incredibly rich, they go down oh-so-easy, a verbal tiramisu. Small, yet amazingly dense, like gold nuggets. Impeccable logic, impeccable use of language. Gorgeous, and mysterious. Moving and inspiring. Kay Ryan delivers on William Carlos Williams' famous lines: It is difficult/to get the news from poems/yet men die every day/for lack/of what is found there.

These poems insist on their verticality as they run down the page. Their weight and glow however resides in little unexpected turns in meaning that place us squarrely in the thouroughly ambiguous world we live in. We are told that wasted time and other common negative experiences need to be accepted as maybe something like a musical pause, as crucial as the rest of the notes to the sound of the music. Reading these poems I can feel a connection with the anecdotes of Porchia or Francis Ponge's underrated work. Ryan's voice is totaly unique but I can't help recalling also Elisabeth Bishop and that marvelous poem about the little marvel stove, so full of forgiveness and yet cooly tight as a work of art.

lyrics of moral turpitude and musical agility (the brief lines of Kay Ryan maintain their integrity), and therein lies their beauty.

Kay Ryan always speaks in a clear voice. With the acuity that I recall from a young soul gazing through creekwater at all the life that flows and hides under rocks.

This was the first book of Kay Ryan's poetry I ever read, and I couldn't put it down... and even once finished, I'm still picking it up to read over and soak up again.

A beautiful command of texture and meter, with a clarity that so many avoid these days. There is a depth in her work that it's simplicity belies. The work is done for you, enjoy.

Between the subtle rhyme, brevity, and insight, this is by far my favorite of Kay Ryan's books. Blandeur (included in this volume) has been included in literature textbooks already. This is definitely a book to own (especially at under $10), read, and re-read. Great for killing time between class, elevators, busrides, car rides, flights... So yeah, buy it, and even if it's not your cup of tea, it's still less than a meal at Denny's (with tip at least.)

Each poem in this book is compressed and compact, yet deep and resonant. The lines seem almost cropped, so that the thin linear band of text bridges a chasm of empty white paper. Each word seems to be plucked from a world filled with wonder and placed carefully on the white page. The spare succinctness of the poems allow us to truly see and savor each word.

Many times the poems start in nature -- with the peculiar particularity of a tree, an animal, a change in the weather -- and they delve into rich surprises beneath in a few short lines. Other times the seed of the poem opens in the turn of a phrase or a cliché approached in a new way. Rhymes dot the poems with a freedom that follows no stringent pattern. The poet's love for words is obvious, and language seems supple in her hands. Here's just a taste:

Crown

Too much rain
loosens trees.
In the hills giant oaks
fall upon their knees.
You can touch parts
you have no right to--
places only birds
should fly to.

This is Kay Ryan's best collection. If you added The Niagara River (the poem itself) to this collection, it would be complete beyond belief.

I bought this book after reading two 5 star reviews. I am amazed that we read the same book. These poems are cute and witty, sometimes provocative (e.g. "Herring" and "Failure 2") but they never left me breathless. Perhaps my standards are too high. Kay Ryan's gift is her ability to write tight short poems that always contain subtle rhyme schemes. However, she rarely has anything important to say and her poems have no emotional power. Again, perhaps my standards are too high. Or maybe I have just been spoiled by the works of poets like Lucille Clifton and Joy Harjo. I recommend this book for large libraries only. If you looking for poetry that is fresh, emotional powerful, and relevant to the everyday world that we live in, try anything by Clifton, Harjo, E. Ethelbert Miller and Diane Lockward.