not the best collection, not as good as the bird anthology with billy collins. i dont agree with how this book is organized, rather by author than by birds, which made it feel like there was much emphasis or effort to feel like legitimate anthology about birds, also why are there no illustrations or photographs.how drab
I like ted kooser, I set out to read all of his books even the ones he served as an editor. If you want to look for a good anthology by Ted Kooser, look up the windflower home almanac, much more poetic and better selections
Birds and Poetry. Small. Quick. Mysterious. Beautiful (or not). Musical (or not). A natural match.
What really sold me on this book was a reading that five of us did from this anthology at an independent bookstore in New Paltz organized by my good friend Matt Spireng, who has a marvelous poem about a killdeer in this collection. I spent a week rehearsing five poems and grew to love them all for different reasons. And I found a potential suitor for "My Late Mother as a Ruffed Grouse," described in my own poem. Here he is in a poem by Paul Zimmer.
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Because I am Heir to Many Things
warmth of dandelion, shamble of bear, caution of inch worm, brain of flicker, I am not surprised when, ankle-deep in snow among February woods, I feel suddenly aroused by a sound like a wooden spoon rattling a bucket.
But it is just another brother, a grouse, confused and drumming on a hollow log, like an old man dreaming he is young again, wishing for love in a preposterous season.
A beautiful collection of poems about birds and those who watch them by some of our foremost contemporary poets. Includes a guide to the "habitat and range" of the poets. This book will make a wonderful gift.