Forest Primeval: Poems (Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award)

Synopsis

Another Anti-pastoral, The Opening Poem Of Forest Primeval, Confesses That Sometimes Words Fail. With A Bleat In [her] Throat, The Poet Identifies With The Voiceless And Wild Things In The Composed, Imposed Peace Of The Romantic Poets With Whom She Is In Dialogue. Vievee Francis's Poems Engage Many Of The Same Concerns As Her Poetic Predecessors--faith In A Secular Age, The City And Nature, Aging, And Beauty. Words Certainly Do Not Fail As Francis Sets Off Into The Wild World Promised In The Title. The Wild Here Is Not Chaotic But Rather Free And Finely Attuned To Its Surroundings. The Reader Who Joins Her Will Emerge Sensitized And Changed By The Enduring Power Of Her Work. Another Antipastoral -- White Mountain -- Happy? -- Altruism -- Cracks Along The Outer Banks -- Emancipation -- Taking It -- A Flight Of Swiftlets Made Their Way In -- The Accountant -- Approaching Fifty -- Shall We Gather & What -- Like Jesus To The Crows -- Fallen -- Keys -- Skinned -- Salt -- Epicurean -- How Delicious To Say It -- The Ledge -- Imprint -- Visiting The House On Long Island -- Cake Baby -- Break -- Circe After The Feast Of Kine -- Waterfire -- A Song On The Ridge -- All The Fuss Over A Rose -- Wolf -- Lightnin' Over Fir -- Bluster -- Grasp -- Seen Through -- Paradise -- Tintype -- She Whose Brothers Turned To Swans Pleads Her Case -- Still Life With Dead Game -- The Old Master -- On The Last Day -- Inevitability -- To Another -- Apologia -- Nightjar -- Her Mouth -- Consider The Prince As He Considered Her Mouth -- Having Never Told The Tarot Reader My Question, She Answers It -- Gutted -- Black River -- Join -- Flying Over Pigeon River -- All Kinds Of Howlin' -- Beast & Beauty -- Husband Fair -- A Small Poem -- Chimera. Vievee Francis.