History of My Heart by PINSKY (1984) Hardcover

Reading this is reading a master at work. Pinsky wields so much skill it's ridiculous. Reading the poems here is like listening to an intelligent, old man sitting in a chair somewhere in a field, giving his thoughts free rein, following them where they land. In my opinion, the poem "The Figured Wheel" is a lyrical, breath-taking masterpiece.

Want to check out some poetry that won't blind you with its self-importance? Give Pinksy a whirl. He wasn't poet laureate for nothing, and this volume shows why: his work is everyday-ish, regular images told in regular language, but stacked in such a way that the power of the images play movies in your head with every turn of the page. The book gets off to a ripping start and calms down from there, but is no less compelling. Like really good, quiet fireplace conversation.