false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1223676137m/288065.jpg 288065 1 With his signature wit and insight, award-winning poet Stephen Dobyns probes the secrets of the heart<br><br>Consider the mysteries of the heart, that blood-pumping organ and, in Stephen Dobyns' latest collection of poems, the hapless romantic of our interior landscape. "The Himalayas Within Him" finds Heart worrying about the sound of his own heartbeat, wondering why it doesn't "blare like a quartet of trombones" as it reflects his "ardent complexity." In "Goodbye to the Hands That Have Touched Him" Heart, after suffering many sleepless nights, decides "that love exists at the root of his problems. Without love his path would be as smooth as a plate of glass and he'd sleep like a kitten." Dividing the Heart poems is the long "Oh, Immobility, Death's Vast Associate," a jazzy disquisition on human isolation and inaction in the midst of a planet full of people feeling similarly. Throughout Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides Dobyns has painstakingly sculpted straightforward language into a distinct sound, creating an unforgettable collection of poems that offers readers unexpected revelations about the complexities of the heart. <br><br><i>. . . Why is Heart alone in the chest? <br>Because hope is an aspect of the single condition<br>and without hope, why move our feet? To see himself<br>as purely a fragment: such is Heart's obligation. <br>Let's quickly depart before we learn what happens. <br>Sometimes a car stops. Sometimes there is nothing.</i><br>--from "Like a Revolving Door" 279489 1 10 1999 Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides (Poets, Penguin) total:52|5:19|4:20|3:7|2:6|1:0| 52 208 70 7 4 0 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Feb 02 23:29:29 -0800 2009 Mon Mar 30 00:06:16 -0700 2009 Pallbearers Envying the One Who Rides (Penguin, 1999)

What a great name for a book. Ain't it? It's what drew me to Dobyns' tenth book of poetry. Once I cracked the cover, his long-limbed, loose-jointed style kept me going:

“Heart considers the nature of fairne...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 16:50:33 -0700 2008 Mon Jul 28 16:55:42 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jun 29 17:24:58 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 29 17:25:58 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Jul 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 03 03:10:42 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 07 06:10:26 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Aug 27 18:25:03 -0700 2007 Tue Aug 28 09:08:36 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Apr 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 05 16:59:52 -0700 2008 Sat Apr 05 17:03:24 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Thu Oct 18 08:38:33 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 18 08:39:20 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Tue Oct 20 19:45:04 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 19:45:54 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Sep 30 19:01:01 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 30 19:01:01 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Sep 29 21:23:24 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 29 21:23:51 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Sep 27 21:46:27 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 21:46:27 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Mon Sep 07 15:17:40 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 07 15:17:47 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jul 31 17:49:58 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 17:49:58 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sat Jul 18 03:39:52 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 18 03:39:52 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Jul 04 23:08:30 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 23:08:30 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Apr 16 15:41:36 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 16 15:41:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Apr 06 15:22:38 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 15:22:40 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Apr 02 19:34:14 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 02 19:34:14 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 22 18:25:51 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 18:25:51 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Mar 22 17:28:41 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 22 17:28:41 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=288065