Meme Poems

"There is no knack for grief," writes Wheeler (Assorted Poems), but her far-reaching experimentation suggests that--through language--she's seeking one. Three wild sequences struggling with loss comprise this volume: In "The Maud Poems," a daughter attempts to make sense of a mother's language rife with idioms and cliches by collaging stanzas of the poet's own lyric voice ("In the sepulcher where the mother lay/ at last some sleep to gain,/ Hannah helped me carve the oak/ into granite with her cane") between nagging bursts ("Don't come in here all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed expecting us to give you more"). The second sequence, "The Devil--or--The Introjects" remixes this vernacular with narrative in dense--sometimes opaque--units. The last is also the most stirring sequence: "The Split" recounts disaster that "doubles at the slightest slight" through slippery lines that reveal masterful dexterity without compromising meaning. "Such is the state of our poetry caught in my throat on its way/ to my mouth, why not do everything// but of course we do nothing" she writes. Wheeler's ambitious new book comes closer to doing everything--much closer--and we are left awed at Wheeler's audacity. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Canasta Mind your own beeswax or you'll be tarred and feathered right here and now. Ray, the dog's got something in her mouth. While you're up, would you check the ham? You and the beast's belly, its short sleek fur, its odor of a world beyond the curb. The tail rises, the fur fans out-- No, just see what the temperature is up to. Oh, I'll do it. That's what I was afraid of. Dan, she skunked me. Excerpted from Meme: Poems by Susan Wheeler All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.