Hybrids of Plants and of Ghosts (Princeton Series of Contemporary Poets Book 60)

"How I would like to catch the world / at pure idea," writes Jorie Graham, for whom a bird may be an alphabet, and flight an arc. Whatever the occasion--and her work offers a rich profusion of them--the poems reach to where possession is not within us, where new names are needed and meaning enlarged. Hence, what she sees reminds her of what is missing, and what she knows suggests what she cannot. From any event, she arcs bravely into the farthest reaches of mind. Fast readers will have trouble, but so what. To the good reader afraid of complexity, I would offer the clear trust that must bond u. Read more... Abstract: "How I would like to catch the world / at pure idea," writes Jorie Graham, for whom a bird may be an alphabet, and flight an arc. Whatever the occasion--and her work offers a rich profusion of them--the poems reach to where possession is not within us, where new names are needed and meaning enlarged. Hence, what she sees reminds her of what is missing, and what she knows suggests what she cannot. From any event, she arcs bravely into the farthest reaches of mind. Fast readers will have trouble, but so what. To the good reader afraid of complexity, I would offer the clear trust that must bond u Cover 1 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Table of Contents 8 I 12 The Way Things Work 14 I Was Taught Three 15 Whore's Bath 17 Ambergris 18 Tennessee June 19 Hybrids of Plants and of Ghosts 20 Angels for Cezanne 21 Cross-Stitch 22 Strangers 23 Drawing Wildflowers 25 II 28 Mother's Sewing Box 29 For My Father Looking for My Uncle 30 The Chicory Comes Out Late August in Umbria 31 Syntax 32 Tree Surgeons 33 Netting 34 Jackpot 35 Harvest for Bergson 36 Flooding 37 One in the Hand 39 An Artichoke for Montesquieu 41 Penmanship 42 To Paul Eluard 43 III 44 Framing 46 For Mark Rothko 47 The Geese 49 New Trees 51 On Why I Would Betray You 52 Mirrors 53 Mimicry 55 Self-Portrait 57 Girl at the Piano 59 My Face in the Mirror Tells a Story of Delicate Ambitions 61 Still Life 62 IV 64 How Morning Glories Could Bloom at Dusk 66 In High Waters 67 Over and Over Stitch 68 The Slow Sounding and Eventual Reemergence Of 69 The Nature of Evidence 71 Mind 72 Now the Sturdy Wind 73 Lourdes: Syllables for a Friend 74 The Afterlife 75 Pearls 76 A Feather for Voltaire 77 Notes 80

"How I would like to catch the world / at pure idea," writes Jorie Graham, for whom a bird may be an alphabet, and flight an arc. Whatever the occasion—and her work offers a rich profusion of them—the poems reach to where possession is not within us, where new names are needed and meaning enlarged. Hence, what she sees reminds her of what is missing, and what she knows suggests what she cannot. From any event, she arcs bravely into the farthest reaches of mind. Fast readers will have trouble, but so what. To the good reader afraid of complexity, I would offer the clear trust that must bond us to such signal poems as (simply to cite three appearing in a row) "Mother's Sewing Box," "For My Father Looking for My Uncle," and "The Chicory Comes Out Late August in Umbria." Finally, the poet's words again: ". . . you get / just what you want" and (just before that), "Just as / from time to time / we need to seize again / the whole language / in search of / better desires."—Marvin Bell

Content: Cover Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents I The Way Things Work I Was Taught Three Whore's Bath Ambergris Tennessee June Hybrids of Plants and of Ghosts Angels for Cezanne Cross-Stitch Strangers Drawing Wildflowers II Mother's Sewing Box For My Father Looking for My Uncle The Chicory Comes Out Late August in Umbria Syntax Tree Surgeons Netting Jackpot Harvest for Bergson Flooding One in the Hand An Artichoke for Montesquieu Penmanship To Paul Eluard III Framing For Mark Rothko The Geese New Trees On Why I Would Betray You Mirrors Mimicry. Self-PortraitGirl at the Piano My Face in the Mirror Tells a Story of Delicate Ambitions Still Life IV How Morning Glories Could Bloom at Dusk In High Waters Over and Over Stitch The Slow Sounding and Eventual Reemergence Of The Nature of Evidence Mind Now the Sturdy Wind Lourdes: Syllables for a Friend The Afterlife Pearls A Feather for Voltaire Notes.