The incandescent poems in Once, the second collection by an
astonishing and formidable poet, explore loss, violence, and
recovery. Facing a mother s impending death, O Rourke invokes a
vanished childhood of American houses, wet / kids moving through
them in Spandex bathing suits; / inside, sandwiches with crusts cut
off. But the future hangs ominously over this summer paradise: not
just the death of O Rourke s mother but the stark civic traumas
faced by American citizens in the twenty-first century. The future,
O Rourke writes, is all still / a dream, a night sweat to be swum
off / in a wonderland of sand and bread. These poems are shadowed
by illness, both civic and personal, and by the mysterious currents
of grief. What emerges over the course of the volume is a
meditation not only on a daughter s relationship with her mother
but also on a citizen s to her nation. Throughout, Once examines
the forces that shape war, divorce, and death, exploring personal
culpability and charting uncertain new beginnings as the speakers
seek to build homes in a shattered land and find whole selves amid
broken, thwarted relationships.
from "Frontier" . . . At times, I felt sick, intoxicated by BPA
and mercury. At other times I fasted and the stars stumbled clear
from the vault. Up there, the universe stands around drunk. I hope
the Lord is kind to us, for we engrave our every mistake . . ."
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
