Another collection of poetry by Tony Hoagland! I am a huge fan. The more I read, the more I adore his quirky perspective and biting but beautiful phrasing. Any modern free verse lover should give it a look-- both this book and "What Narcissism Means to Me: Poems"  . Hoagland's perspective is so fresh that even topics that have been around for hundreds of years seem fresh. I love it!

I adore every poem in the book. I read it over and over and over (just like every other bit of Hoagland I can find). The first poem that really struck a personal chord for me was "I Have News for You", the fifth in the collection. I was utterly hooked with its opening words:

There are people who do not see a broken playground swing
as a symbol of ruined childhood

and there are people who don't interpret the behavior
of a fly in a motel room as a mocking representation of their thought process.

Is a genius. Pure and simple. I cannot recommend him highly enough!

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Created May 18, 2015 at 1:09pm • Submit your own review...