POETRY

Lightning Falls in Love

Copper Canyon. Sept. 2021. 120p. ISBN 9781556596360. pap. $17. POETRY
COPY ISBN
A National Book Critics Circle Award winner for Space, in Chains, Kasischke delivers intriguing scenarios in cut-glass, page-turningly readable verse that carries shadows underneath. A woman and a vulture are paralleled to reveal the burdens of freedom (“Not to have wanted to go.// But to have flown”). A flower girl’s photograph presages personal and global trauma, the red-eye effect suggesting “a frozen horse, and/ a frozen field, my/ country’s wars, and/ my own child’s future.” In the title poem, lighting falls in love with a range of linked characters, as the speaker concludes unperturbably “then my own lightning’s work here/ is almost done.”

VERDICT Inventive, if more unsettling than whimsical, these top-notch poems acutely observe an unpredictable world. Highly recommended.
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.


RELATED 

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?