Leaf, Sunlight, Asphalt

Ichigo ichie (""one time, one meeting""), a motto associated with the Japanese tea ceremony, enjoins the host and guests in the tea hut to treat each encounter as unprecedented and unrepeatable. Infused with that conviction, the poems of Ben Howard's sixth collection bring an exact and ceremonial attention to the things of this world. ""Howard manages iambs as well as nyone since Christopher Marlowe. Few other contemporary poets make ordinary living seem as rich and rewarding."" Booklist