The Invention of the Kaleidoscope Book

Wow.

I have always been a fan of Paisley Rekdal's work when I have read it, but at the same time, I have felt that it was a little too "dense" (for lack of a better term) in its phrasing and elevated vocabulary.

In this type of poetry, (primarily focused initially with the personal - whether the personal of the narrator or not) I see a tendency for the language to go one of two ways: Either the poet hits the emotional target or the intellectual target. Poets who can walk the middle well are often hard to find.

This book doesn't just walk that line, it *owns* it. The poems are beautifully crafted, yet pack an unbelievable emotional punch. I think this collection is a quantum leap above her earlier work (which I liked already) and has elevated her to a whole new level as a poet.

Many of the poems are long (which I typically am not a fan of, but they maintained their strength so well here that it never bothered me), so I won't quote one. Instead, a few of my favorite lines in the book:

"I'm not afraid of death, I'm afraid of all the years
leading up to it." (from MOTH)

"...If it's history we want
then let's have it: its futile pomps and dust,
its boredom, gore, and desperation, the pliant

vulnerability each suit implies and would let
us enter..." (from ARMOR ON DISPLAY)

"...I know
the way you fuck me now is how, later,
you'll hate me..." (from THE GOKSTADT SHIP)

Overall, my list of favorite poems would in essence be a list of titles in the entire book. I love this collection and can't wait to see where she takes us with her next.

--and a p.s. of sorts: "Strawberry" is an intensely powerful way to start a collection. I don't necessarily feel that "peony" as its mirrored image ending poem is quite as strong, but that is probably my only nitpick.