The Collected Poems of Robert Creeley, 1945-1975

Using simple phrases and a lot of white space, Robert Creeley is a innovator of modern verse that suffuses mystery into the mundune. He is straightforward, spare, uses very few metaphors. He is an absolute master of measure, using the sound of the words and the pauses in between to create beautiful, haunting verse. It is difficult to be cerebral while reading his work, the poetry never explains or describe but is made to be experienced as a bodily phenomenon. It engages a quieter, deeper more subtle appreciation challenging for a modern readership used to instant gratifications.

Out of all of my books it is the only one that for over 15 years I have read something from everyday. I think the sign of a good book is one that you can open randomly and always be turned around by the words before you.

these poems and the silence surrounding them are uncanny. I know no other word for it. he makes ordinary statements sound interesting because of his uncanny phrasing and subtle line breaks. you can learn more about writing from an hour spent with creeley's work than with just about anyone else, except ashbery.