The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems

The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems

Playfulness, spare elegance, and wit epitomize the poetry of Billy Collins. With his distinct voice and accessible language, America's two-term Poet Laureate has opened the door to poetry for countless people for whom it might otherwise remain closed.

Like the present book's title, Collins's poems are filled with mischief, humor, and irony, â€œPoetry speaks to all people, it is said, but here I would like to address / only those in my own time zone"â€“but also with quiet observation, intense wonder, and a reverence for the everyday: â€œThe birds are in their trees, / the toast is in the toaster, / and the poets are at their windows. / They are at their windows in every section of the tangerine of earthâ€“the Chinese poets looking up at the moon, / the American poets gazing out / at the pink and blue ribbons of sunrise."

Through simple language, Collins shows that good poetry doesn't have to be obscure or incomprehensible, qualities that are perhaps the real trouble with most â€œserious" poetry: â€œBy now, it should go without saying / that what the oven is to the baker / and the berry-stained blouse to the drycleaner / so the window is to the poet."

In this dazzling new collection, his first in three years, Collins explores boyhood, jazz, love, the passage of time, and, of course, writingâ€“themes familiar to Collins's fans but made new here. Gorgeous, funny, and deeply empathetic, Billy Collins's poetry is a window through which we see our lives as if for the first time.

From the Hardcover edition.
Country USA
Brand Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780375755217
Color Multicolor
ReleaseDate 2007-03-13
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780375755217

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Manufacturer	Random House Trade Paperbacks
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780375755217
Color	Multicolor
ReleaseDate	2007-03-13
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780375755217

The Trouble with Poetry and Other Poems

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