The Really Short Poems of A. R. Ammons

These short pieces frequently combine the discipline and precision of haiku with the assured and humorous tone of cracker-barrel philosophy. Ammons, who has been known to have plenty to say, cuts to the heart of the matter in poem after poem, suggesting worlds of unspoken wisdom and humor. "Success Story" is a good example of the project, as Ammons explains why he never "got on good" with the rest of the world: "First I had nothing / the world wanted / then the world had / nothing I wanted."