Bucolics

Untitled and unpunctuated, the seventy poems in this acclaimed collection seem to cascade from one page to another. Maurice Manning extolls the virtues of nature and its many gifts, and finds deep gratitude for the mysterious hand that created it all.

that bare branch that branch made black

by the rain the silver raindrop

hanging from the black branch

Boss I like that black branch

I like that shiny raindrop Boss

tell me if I’m wrong but it makes

me think you’re looking right

at me now isn’t that a lark for me

to think you look that way

upside down like a tree frog

Boss I’m not surprised at all

I wouldn’t doubt it for

a minute you’re always up

to something I’ll say one thing

you’re all right all right you are

even when you’re hanging Boss |

PRAISE FOR A COMPANION FOR OWLS

"The lucidity and surprise and soulfulness of [the poems’] language embody an intelligence and sensibility attainable only in high art . . . This is thrilling work." — JAMES BAKER HALL, POET LAUREATE OF KENTUCKY

PRAISE FOR MAURICE MANNING

"A fresh and brilliant talent."— W. S. MERWIN