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Man Under a Pear Tree
Winner of the 1996 Anhinga Prize for Poetry. Chosen by Robert Dana.
Man Under a Pear Tree is a litany of fused moments, layered like the transparencies in an encyclopedia to give us--if it's possible--new levels of reality. Keith Ratzlaff shuffles his deck of cards so that images float, fluid and intractable as time itself, and ideas are caught in the process of formation. Ratzlaff gives us context: the portrait widened to landscape in such a way that the individual is not lost, but seen in a new perspective, like the feet of the flying woman whose body must be imagined beyond the frame. Ratzlaff is most assuredly the Klee of words. We are alterable, says this poet, but he is enchanted by the magic of alteration, the illusion that reveals. I hold my breath as Houdini is lowered into the water, slowed breath becoming slower as cause and effect float in an ever-present "now." The words that come to mind are brilliant, breathtaking, death-defying, but I'll settle for saying these poems feel as real as talking to yourself. -- Judith Kitchen
Man Under a Pear Tree is a litany of fused moments, layered like the transparencies in an encyclopedia to give us--if it's possible--new levels of reality. Keith Ratzlaff shuffles his deck of cards so that images float, fluid and intractable as time itself, and ideas are caught in the process of formation. Ratzlaff gives us context: the portrait widened to landscape in such a way that the individual is not lost, but seen in a new perspective, like the feet of the flying woman whose body must be imagined beyond the frame. Ratzlaff is most assuredly the Klee of words. We are alterable, says this poet, but he is enchanted by the magic of alteration, the illusion that reveals. I hold my breath as Houdini is lowered into the water, slowed breath becoming slower as cause and effect float in an ever-present "now." The words that come to mind are brilliant, breathtaking, death-defying, but I'll settle for saying these poems feel as real as talking to yourself. -- Judith Kitchen
Paperback
Published March 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 31, 2026
Keith Ratzlaff is an amazing poet. His poems are layered and moving in ways few poets achieve.
December 7, 2013
Bought for .50 cents at a Lions Club sale in Florence, OR. I could not be more delighted in a .50 cent purchase.
The words ..."ruckus of wishing" was worth 20 times what I paid.
Gospel starts-
"These are our skirts
and these are our trousers
full of us"
And I am in for the ride...Ratzlaff leads the reader on journeys through words and spaces and places. I would think I knew where he was taking us, only to be delighted at where we ended up.
"The frayed moon will do nothing more tonight."...one of my favorite starts to a poem- ever. thank you Mr. Ratzlaff.
The words ..."ruckus of wishing" was worth 20 times what I paid.
Gospel starts-
"These are our skirts
and these are our trousers
full of us"
And I am in for the ride...Ratzlaff leads the reader on journeys through words and spaces and places. I would think I knew where he was taking us, only to be delighted at where we ended up.
"The frayed moon will do nothing more tonight."...one of my favorite starts to a poem- ever. thank you Mr. Ratzlaff.
August 24, 2008
This book of poetry won the Anhinga Prize for poetry, and the only reason I bought it was the fact that it was written by a former professor of mine. I liked it a lot, and that is saying a lot since I've probably read a total of 2 books of poetry in my life (the other was by Henry Rollins, former lead singer of the punk rock group Black Flag).
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews