The Choir Outing

Rooted in various kinds of irritation, each poem in this volume takes a glimpse of something that is hard to pin down—feelings, memories, landscapes—and that continually demands to be examined, explored, celebrated, or questioned. The long-form poem "Scherzo Fantastique" is light and teasing in its tone while meditating on a stage actor’s craft. Additionally, a sequence of monologues in the voice of the wives of some of the great composers—along with elegies, reflections on art, intimate domestic lyrics, jokes, and love poems—all display a technical expertise. Delighting in the moment, each poem's mixture of rhythm, imagery, and structure once again affirms the power of poetry.