The Niagara River: Poems

I started off the month with an ambitious project that was part of a poetry store promotion: read a book of poetry a day. Since so many (this one included) are slender, it seemed possible. However, after main-lining Ryan's beautiful poems, I realized this was a terrible idea - they are meant to be savored and pondered, especially in this languid late-summer month. This collection has some stand-outs: the title poem, for one, "Things Shouldn't Be So Hard" which is a thoughtful exploration of grief; "Tenderness and Rot" share a border states the first line; "Carrying a Ladder." Published in 2005, it is oddly prescient in its themes of impending doom, things not being what they appear, underlying currents of doubt and dis-ease -- maybe it show more was the newness of the millennium that accounts for some of that, but regardless, a quarter-century in, and those themes resonate. But there is hope too, especially in the meta sense that art gives us another way of seeing, interpreting, resisting. show less

Ryan's voice is beautiful but I found her insistence on extreme brevity limiting. This was my first dip into her work, though, and perhaps it was a stylistic choice for this volume? Mostly, I kept expecting a sudden release -- as the title and cover graphic seemed to indicate -- and it never came. Perhaps the point was to sweep us towards our own understanding. I'll have to reread. There are lovely, masterful images at play, though, and her "Atlas" is wonderful. I recognized myself often.

This was a pleasant collection of poetry written by a Poet Laureate. As I had said in the previous book I reviewed, a collection of Sappho's poetry, while I read a great deal of poetry growing up it has been a long time since I returned to those waters. Sappho's poetry spoke to me in a way I'd not been spoken to in some time - the meaning behind the poem fragments relatively easy to parse. [b: The Niagra River|130093|The Niagara River|Kay Ryan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1439538857s/130093.jpg|125295] was a different beast. While it wasn't as oftentimes vague and muddied as [b: War of the Foxes|21532793|War of the Foxes|Richard Siken|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1426378241s/21532793.jpg|40861331] was, the poetry was still a show more bit less accessible to me than I had found Sappho's to be.

I liked a great deal of the poems that I read here. In particular I found "Pitcher" and "Chinese Foot Chart" particularly evocative. I liked the title poem a great deal and the abundance of nature imagery within. The poetry was all very well written, but it lacked for me some of the express bluntness of Sappho's work and the wild burning urgency of Richard Siken's. Nevertheless, this is certainly a good read and a worthy one. show less

Compact poems, satisfying in their brevity and weird music/rhymes, as if no one's rhymed quite that way, quite like that before. Real wit and fresh turns on trite and familiar sayings/sentiments. She manages to evoke quite a bit with few strokes--at times they feel like sayings or aphorisms, perhaps a little too neat and tidy, though. A comparison to Cornell boxes is apt.

From: A Poet Whispers In the Ear of Congress
http://wp.me/p14mpp-e9

Fairfield, California poet Kay Ryan is the winner of many awards, the latest being a MacArthur Grant. Her work is impressive, short easy-to-read poems with a punch. The collection Niagara River contains 60 plus of these poems. I especially like the title poem, which has a Zen like message comparing time to the flow of a river.

For the above blog posting I used her poem Home to Roost to encourage Congress to be a little more responsible.

This is a good collection of short poems on many topics. I have a problem reading collections of short poems— my mind wanders after reading one or two. Perhaps I would like them delivered by email: one or two a week would be special.

Ryan's poetry is often humorous, multiple meanings popping up in her short, word-play rich work. Reading is a must. Also, Kay Ryan is the current --2009-- poet laureate of the USA.

more 2.5. 2 or 3 that are absolutely stunning. 2 that are good. majority meh.