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The Grace of Necessity
For the past 25 years Samuel Green has lived on a tiny island only four square miles in size populated by fewer than a hundred people. The island has no regular phone service, no electricity, no stores. These poems are informed by the lessons Green has learned living in a
- GenresPoetry
112 pages, Paperback
First published March 4, 2008
About the author
Samuel Green
100 books5 followersThere is more than one author by this name on Goodreads
See also:
Samuel Green, 1768-1859
Samuel B. Green, SPSS
Samuel Bowdlear Green, 1859-1910, forestry
See also:
Samuel Green, 1768-1859
Samuel B. Green, SPSS
Samuel Bowdlear Green, 1859-1910, forestry
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 20, 2023
4 stars
Sept 9th
A nuthatch slams into the bay
window. The ledge catches her,
keeps her from the cat's mouth,
but she stays there, stunned, caught
by the betrayal of air suddenly
turned solid. How could she ever move
past this moment without the grace
of necessity? How could any of us?
(more poems below)
This volume from the Carnegie Mellon Poetry Series contains poems from 2 of Samuel Green's previously published chapbooks and from his poetry diary.
The enjoyment of poetry goes very much down to taste as well as talent with words, images and meaning. Green certainly has that talent and I enjoyed much of this volume far more than I've enjoyed the work of more famous poets, even if IMHO his 1998 work is much better than his later stuff.
His poetry is largely based on his life off-grid and other personal experiences with observations on life and death in nature. Later, there are some overtly Christian pieces, but nothing too heavy-handed.
Here are a few more samples of his work:
Oct 18th: New York City
On the subway, an old
Polish man takes me in charge,
rides two stops past his own
to make certain I find
the right place to get off. When I try
to thank him, he shakes his head
no, forget it. No one, he says,
should be lost when someone else
knows the way.
Oct 26th
When I step into the yard to
dump the chamber pot,
it is quiet. Even my neighbors'
roosters haven't renewed their sovereignty
yet. I imagine all the trees in the orchard,
the ones we dug holes for, set a rich
meal of dark soil & compost & rotted
manure for, watered at the right time - these,
I say, I imagine bowing slightly
to acknowledge me as I pass,
having stood through another night
of wind. Who would not laugh at himself
at such thoughts, pouring his own piss
onto eggshells, potato peels, the
odd scraps we hope to turn into something
we wish so badly could love us?
At Least the Rabbits
Here, at the garden's edge, where kale
has diminished morning
after morning, where tufts of fur
& only a little blood describe
the grass, something stopped being
what it was & began the journey
toward becoming other.
If you think your heart is a sleeping hen
you spend your nights in fear of owls, clustered
tight with the rest of the flock.
At least the rabbits move into the open,
at least they go about their business,
at least they take their chances with the hawks.
Sept 9th
A nuthatch slams into the bay
window. The ledge catches her,
keeps her from the cat's mouth,
but she stays there, stunned, caught
by the betrayal of air suddenly
turned solid. How could she ever move
past this moment without the grace
of necessity? How could any of us?
(more poems below)
This volume from the Carnegie Mellon Poetry Series contains poems from 2 of Samuel Green's previously published chapbooks and from his poetry diary.
The enjoyment of poetry goes very much down to taste as well as talent with words, images and meaning. Green certainly has that talent and I enjoyed much of this volume far more than I've enjoyed the work of more famous poets, even if IMHO his 1998 work is much better than his later stuff.
His poetry is largely based on his life off-grid and other personal experiences with observations on life and death in nature. Later, there are some overtly Christian pieces, but nothing too heavy-handed.
Here are a few more samples of his work:
Oct 18th: New York City
On the subway, an old
Polish man takes me in charge,
rides two stops past his own
to make certain I find
the right place to get off. When I try
to thank him, he shakes his head
no, forget it. No one, he says,
should be lost when someone else
knows the way.
Oct 26th
When I step into the yard to
dump the chamber pot,
it is quiet. Even my neighbors'
roosters haven't renewed their sovereignty
yet. I imagine all the trees in the orchard,
the ones we dug holes for, set a rich
meal of dark soil & compost & rotted
manure for, watered at the right time - these,
I say, I imagine bowing slightly
to acknowledge me as I pass,
having stood through another night
of wind. Who would not laugh at himself
at such thoughts, pouring his own piss
onto eggshells, potato peels, the
odd scraps we hope to turn into something
we wish so badly could love us?
At Least the Rabbits
Here, at the garden's edge, where kale
has diminished morning
after morning, where tufts of fur
& only a little blood describe
the grass, something stopped being
what it was & began the journey
toward becoming other.
If you think your heart is a sleeping hen
you spend your nights in fear of owls, clustered
tight with the rest of the flock.
At least the rabbits move into the open,
at least they go about their business,
at least they take their chances with the hawks.
July 31, 2012
Julie sent me my very own copy of this beautiful book. She probably doesn't know it, but she mailed it on my birthday. So I will think of it as a birthday present via serendipity.
Thank you, my friend. I will treasure this poetry while remembering the kindness that brought it to my door.
Thank you, my friend. I will treasure this poetry while remembering the kindness that brought it to my door.
June 27, 2012
A perfect volume of poetry, read on a sleepless night. Review to follow.
June 24, 2009
The first poet laureate of Washington State. His poems are beautiful, his love poems foremost among them.
April 18, 2026
“If you think your heart is a sleeping hen
You spend your nights in fear of the owls, clustered
Tight with the rest of the flock.
At least the rabbits move into the open,
At least they go about their business,
At least they take chances with the hawks.”
A collection of poetry inspired by nature, grief, and love, The Grace of Necessity was a wonderful find for this year’s National Poetry Month.
You spend your nights in fear of the owls, clustered
Tight with the rest of the flock.
At least the rabbits move into the open,
At least they go about their business,
At least they take chances with the hawks.”
A collection of poetry inspired by nature, grief, and love, The Grace of Necessity was a wonderful find for this year’s National Poetry Month.
October 29, 2011
Wonderful poems. Green has a quiet but strong and authentic voice. I was introduced to his work recently at a reading in Victoria. His poems are carefully crafted and reflect a wise perspective on life, death, and our brief individual contributions to this world.
August 19, 2016
A wonderful book. I've not been moved by a book of poetry this way in some time.
March 20, 2013
Ah, the grace of Sam Green!
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews