Twelve for the Records by Diane Lockward

[Joanne]

From the first poem ("My Husband Discovers Poetry," in which her husband, who doesn't read poetry, finds a poem she has written in revenge for his lack of interest) to the last ("Leaving in Pieces", in which her husband goes bald and she leaves him for a Labrador retriever with thick fur), this collection is a wonderful introduction to Diane Lockward's work. There's a righteous anger burning through these funny, sharp narratives which will entertain and devastate those new to poetry and long-time readers alike.

I keep going back to that first poem - reading, rereading, re-rereading - days after I read through this collection the first time. Other favourites are "The Best Words," in which the poet contends the best words are those which "sound obscene but aren't" ("Cockatiel, cockatoo--words with wings. / The hoarfrost of winter, lure of a crappie, / handful of nuts, kumquat, lavender crystals of kunzite, / the titillation of shiftless and schist, the bark and bite / of shittimwood, music of sextillion and cockleshells."), and "The Missing Wife," a response to a bumper sticker the poet saw which read "Wife and dog missing. Reward for the dog." ("Time passed. They came and went as they pleased, / chased sticks when they felt like chasing sticks, / dug holes in what they came to regard / as their own backyard. They unlearned / how to roll over and play dead.")

Lockward selected poems from each of her three books, Eve's Red Dress, What Feeds Us and Temptation by Water, to make up this small, tight, powerful chapbook, so people who already own her books won't find anything new here, though die-hard fans may find it worth picking up for her endnote with its thorough detailing of the history of the poems.

[Sarah]

Sounds very sharp. I like the woman and dog's revenge.
It is interesting to see someone take poems from three full-length collections and put them in a smaller chapbook. Usually folks are shooting to go the other way around.
thanks

[Jen]

Wow, love what you quoted of "The Missing Wife." And I love the humor in these also. I've never heard of this poet before. Thanks for reviewing her and letting us know about her other work.

[Nina]

I love Lockward and am eagerly awaiting a new book

[Ruth]

Thanks, Joanne, for that good review. I loved the book, even though it did contain a number of poems I'd read before I was happy to revisit them.