Loop

by John Taggart

Genres: Poetry

240 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1987

About the author

an American poet and critic.

Reviews

[Amira Hanafi]

I read this after Pastorelles, Taggart's more recent book of short poems. The poems here are longer, take more time to explore their repetitions, and themes are revisited throughout the book. I felt when I was reading it that I liked it better than Pastorelles, but then upon reflection I feel the shorter, polished texts in the later book have stayed with me more firmly. Loop has more emotional impact in its length, but Pastorelles wields a sharper, more glittering precision. Both good books, though.

[Zack]

This is the second John Taggart book I've read and I think I might be in love. In this book, and Peace on Earth, his poetry has this ecstatic dancey musical quality to it that is such a joy to read! The issues that he explores are dark and complex and fascinating. They beg re-reading. So there's this great tension between the form and music of his writing (which goes down easy) and the meaning of it (which asks you to take a step back, slow down, and think). I'm gonna keep looking back at a lot of these poems. And I'm gonna read more Taggart books for sure.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read part of this aloud with A, months ago, and then just picked it up to finish. Partly that is my way with books right now, but partly this book is meant to be read aloud, and then was hard to re-enter silently. Something odd: it gives, to me, the impression of having been written before its time. Here is the book to teach you to use repetition.

"the mind's full with the parts of the tree
the mind is full and the air is pocked
the air this morning is pocked with emptiness"