The Color Wheel

by Timothy Steele

Through his widely praised collections of poems Thimpthy Steele has earned the reputation as one of the most highly regarded poets born since World War II who continue to work in meter. Now Steele bring together thrity-five new poems that extend the scope and deepen the spirit of his previous work. While always faithful to the richness and complexity of experience, the poems in The Color Wheel are clear and accessible. They blend imagistic detail and reflection and bring to contemporary subjects what Steele calls "the preservative virtues of formal care."

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1994

Reviews

[Swell Versed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book by chance, some time after having read Timothy Steele's treatise on poetic rhythm titled "All the Fun's In How You Say a Thing". I knew that he was a metrical poet, and as a nonmetrical poet, I do not necessarily seek out or enjoy metrical poetry. But when I started to leaf through this book, I was struck by how the author managed to apply metrical/rhyme schemes in a very modern, contemporary way, in terms of using more informal and accessible language/imagery and relatable subject matter. I have enjoyed scanning and marking the stresses in the poems included here, which cover a few types of meters, rhyme schemes and forms (not just iambic pentameter).