false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167521994m/24403.jpg 24403 5 In <I>Nine Horses</I>, Billy Collins, U.S. poet laureate and author of the bestselling collection <I>Sailing Alone Around the Room</I>, attempts to find beauty in simplicity, but ends up achieving the simply banal. Some poems, such as "Rooms" and "Obituaries," in which readers are given freedom to draw their own conclusions, are memorable, but the language in <I>Nine Horses</I> has little music and thoughts are plainly stated. Animals (mostly mice and little birds) populate this sentimental journey, and they are nearly always personified, resulting in poems that sometimes read like the verse equivalent of a Thomas Kinkade print. Collins's use of the vernacular can be burdensome ("and you are certainly not the pine-scented air. / There is no way you are the pine-scented air"), but some readers may find comfort (a haven perhaps) in the author's warm, safe world. Billy Collins has become an immensely popular poet, and though <I>Nine Horses</I> may remain less than inspiring, its poems are certain not to offend. <I>--Michael Ferch</I> 1362318 2002 Nine Horses: Poems total:1044|5:403|4:416|3:178|2:33|1:14| 1044 4293 1265 69 5 0 false false Tue Dec 09 19:27:42 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 19:35:08 -0800 2008
"you are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine."
-- jacques crickillon

you are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
you are the dew on the morning grass,
and the burning wheel of the sun.
you are the w...more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 14:13:43 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 25 14:23:37 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Feb 28 11:12:38 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 01 13:38:11 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 05 13:51:21 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 11:40:53 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Tue Jul 01 21:43:45 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 01 21:46:28 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Sun Feb 22 19:53:27 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 20:08:21 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sun Oct 28 11:50:31 -0700 2007 Mon Jan 05 00:38:11 -0800 2009
But they do. They do make a difference. Perhaps it is not what Billy Collins is saying that is...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Tue Jun 19 22:00:55 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 19 22:08:48 -0700 2007
I saw him at a poetry reading in Manchester, VT in an old...more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 03:19:23 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 25 03:23:20 -0800 2008
Billy Collins doesn't generally resonate with me. I liked nearly all these poems, in a mild way, but onl...more...]]> 1 1 false false Mon May 11 09:19:58 -0700 2009 Mon May 11 09:19:58 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Aug 19 22:44:04 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 23:41:33 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Fri Jun 12 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 06:34:41 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 13 06:36:12 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 08 08:02:23 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 25 08:16:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Sep 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 05:53:10 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 05:55:51 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Mar 09 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 12:58:11 -0800 2008 Thu Dec 18 12:59:25 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Sat Jul 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 13:06:04 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 13:07:16 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Mar 04 16:32:00 -0800 2009 Wed Mar 04 16:34:46 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sat Aug 15 17:21:11 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 17:22:02 -0700 2009 the birthday poem is hanging in my ming right now.
]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jun 29 00:12:47 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 04:11:39 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon May 18 06:25:04 -0700 2009 Mon May 18 06:28:07 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=24403