Heroin: And Other Poems

Heroin, great, another drug book. I recognized Smith's name from `Poetry' so I went past the title of this collection to see if it would surpass my inhibitions. Based on the poems in this collection, I think he could write a wonderful poem about dirty laundry. I have to confess to reading more fiction than poetry on average, though I'm slowly correcting this. Favorite poems in here- Beautyworks- curls to recapitulation, Beds- a list poem, but an excellent ode to beds, and As For Trees, variation on a list of trees. Reading through the collection again, I could select so many as favorites. Many times when I read a poetry collection, I will flip through and read a few random poems, but Smith's collection is so readable and his voice so strong like in Fistfight, each poem is worth your attention. Almost a stream (of consciousness) that flows so well, I would follow it over a waterfall, if he kept writing. They move like Of This I Speak to No One, drawing you in close, putting an arm around your shoulder telling you something in an intimate, confessional manner. This is easily one of my favorite books of poetry in the past year. It bears comparison with Jane Hirshfield,