Dwelling Song: Poems (Contemporary Poetry Series) - Softcover

Full of sharp, tight perceptions and even sharper, tighter sounds, Sally Keith's second collection manages to embrace both the quotidian and the timeless at once. From their fusion, she fashions a vibrant immanence; this is poetry that takes place on the page right before your eyes. Lyrical yet mathematical, at times unnerving yet always compelling, these poems never stop opening up new territory. - Cole Swensen, author of Such Rich Hour

As a hummingbird beats its wings so that it might be still to feed on a flower the poet concludes, ""The equation keeps balancing out, and, / I'm drawn to how it does not settle."" Aware of the difficulty of loving the world while feeding upon it, the poems of Dwelling Song hope vision is levity as they press language to make sight and song. This writing is a form of mimicry and, yet, an act of dangerous flight. Whether from the voice of a hunter, shepherd, farmer, or bugle-blowing boy on a city street, the song recognizes that moving forward necessitates turning one's back.