In his second collection of poems, Stephen Cushman explores,
appraises, and celebrates many different forms of connections --
domestic, social, historical, and religious. With an easygoing
voice, an engaging humor, and a sure understanding of his craft, he
addresses subjects from marriage and travel to urbanism and the
Civil War, illustrating the rewards of a sensitive regard for the
junctions in everyday life and language.
Invoking "all the lessons they ever taught me / about ordination
in the ordinary, " he reflects on members of his family, affirming
attachments of marriage and blood. Beyond those immediate ties lie
the connections of history -- which take him to ancient Egypt,
wartime Virginia, and Greece under Nazi occupation -- as well as
the broader bonds of struggling to love neighbors and strangers: a
panhandler on a city street, an inmate in a county jail, a nun at a
convent window, a fellow passenger in a subway car. In trying to
make and maintain any of these links, Cushman avoids lapses of
sentimental piety, admitting instead, in the words of the title
poem, "I worship the sacred and savor the profane."
Deftly balancing reverence and irreverence, the poems in Cussing
Lesson both bless and curse. Whatever mode Cushman chooses and
whatever form he employs, connections made by heart and head find
their expression in his finely tuned confluence of words.
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!