Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
446th out of 975 books
—
1,011 voters
Emerald Ice: Selected Poems, 1962-1987
In 1988, at the age of fifty, Diana Wakoski selected the poems in "Emerald Ice from her first sixteen books of poetry. Here, returned to print at last, are all the famous (and infamous) lyrics, series, 'and narratives that established Wakoski as a mythologizer of sex and self, a fierce free-verse imagist, and "one of the most important and controversial poets in the United...more
Paperback, 348 pages
Published
November 1st 2004
by Black Sparrow Press
(first published January 1st 1988)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
117)
Per the norm for me, Wakoski starts out fairly interesting, then her poems begin to devolve into pure language poetry, a form I do not really care for. I would prefer to read poetry that is a bit more easy to decipher, I don't mind fresh, interesting metaphors and similes, but if the entire language of the poem is what I term: "too inner" I begin to think the poet is grasping, and most definitely simply putting words together to sound clever. I will admit there are some language poets I respect...more
all she can do is continue to amaze me
Not really a poetry reader, but despite the crazieness, I found Wakoski fun to read.
Really genius poetry that sparkles, just like ice. It's like drinking art.
Apr 30, 2013
Ruth
marked it as to-read
Mar 19, 2013
Ben
marked it as to-read
Mar 12, 2013
Paul
marked it as to-read
Mar 05, 2013
Translucent
marked it as to-read
Feb 20, 2013
Lauren
marked it as to-read
Feb 13, 2013
Samantha
added it
Feb 08, 2013
Atlee
marked it as to-read
Jan 13, 2013
Andreea
marked it as to-read
Jan 10, 2013
Trinity
marked it as to-read
Dec 16, 2012
Jenn Jacoby
marked it as to-read
Nov 22, 2012
Yinzadi
marked it as to-read
Sep 28, 2012
Lindsay
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Wakoski is an American poet who is primarily associated with the deep image poets such as Jerome Rothenberg, Robert Kelly, and Clayton Eshleman. Throughout her work she uses legends, myth and fairy tales to create a deeply personal mythology.
She is best known for a series of poems collectively known as "The Motorcycle Betrayal Poems."
Wakoski was given the William Carlos Williams Award for her "Em...more
More about Diane Wakoski...
She is best known for a series of poems collectively known as "The Motorcycle Betrayal Poems."
Wakoski was given the William Carlos Williams Award for her "Em...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Sour Milk
You can't make it
turn sweet
again.
Once
it was an innocent color
like the flowers of wild strawberries,
and its texture was simple
would pass through a clean cheesecloth,
its taste was fresh.
And now
with nothing more guilty that the passage of time
to chide it with,
the same substance
has turned sour and lumpy.
The sour milk
makes interesting & delicious doughs,
can be carried to a further state of bacterial action
to create new foods,
can in its own right
be considered complicated and more interesting in texture
to one who studies it closely,
like a map of the world.
But
to most of us:
it is spoiled.
Sour.
We throw it out,
down the drain-not in the backyard-
careful not to spill any
because the smell is strong.
A good cook
would be shocked
with the waste.
But we do not live in a world of good cooks.
I am the milk.
Time passes.
You cannot make it
turn sweet
again.
I sit guiltily on the refrigerator shelf
trembling with hope for a cook
who dreams of waffles,
biscuits, dumplings
and other delicious breads
fearing the modern housewife
who will lift me off the shelf and with one deft twist
of a wrist...
you know the rest.
You are the milk.
When it is your turn
remember,
there is nothing more than the passage of time
we can chide you with.”
—
14 people liked it
More quotes…
You can't make it
turn sweet
again.
Once
it was an innocent color
like the flowers of wild strawberries,
and its texture was simple
would pass through a clean cheesecloth,
its taste was fresh.
And now
with nothing more guilty that the passage of time
to chide it with,
the same substance
has turned sour and lumpy.
The sour milk
makes interesting & delicious doughs,
can be carried to a further state of bacterial action
to create new foods,
can in its own right
be considered complicated and more interesting in texture
to one who studies it closely,
like a map of the world.
But
to most of us:
it is spoiled.
Sour.
We throw it out,
down the drain-not in the backyard-
careful not to spill any
because the smell is strong.
A good cook
would be shocked
with the waste.
But we do not live in a world of good cooks.
I am the milk.
Time passes.
You cannot make it
turn sweet
again.
I sit guiltily on the refrigerator shelf
trembling with hope for a cook
who dreams of waffles,
biscuits, dumplings
and other delicious breads
fearing the modern housewife
who will lift me off the shelf and with one deft twist
of a wrist...
you know the rest.
You are the milk.
When it is your turn
remember,
there is nothing more than the passage of time
we can chide you with.”
