Rating: 
Summary: With the Courage of Simplicity
Review: "...now I am wondering if you are even listening/and why I bother to tell you these things/that will never make a difference..." (from "Night Letter to a Reader," B. Collins)But they do. They do make a difference. Perhaps it is not what Billy Collins is saying that is important so much as how he says it -- with the courage of simplicity. He speaks in words that resonate like music in the heart, not as symphonies or brass bands, but with the smoky blues of a darkness that must sometimes enfold the living and breathing spirit, or the rhythm and beat of blood pumping through animal veins, or the calm hum of a tune that accompanies you through the working day, and then, long into the night. Often, the hum is still there in the morning. Collins' poetry lasts that way. "There was nothing to write about/except life and death/and the low warning sound of the train whistle." If there are only three topics for the writer, Collins has created a simple yet powerful poetry out of all three.
Rating: 
Summary: A Casual Match in a Very Dry Field
Review: Billy Collins didn't publish his poems in book form until after he was forty. Despite this fact, he became Poet Laurette for the United States from 2001-2003 (and he may be again, for all we know). There are plenty of people who like to dismiss his writing as simple, or who will say that it deals with bland subjects. I am not one of those people. From the first full poem, "The Country," Collins generates words that count more and more as the book goes on. He can titilate a reader's sense of fancy, as he does in "The Country," or create a moment of true wonder about the lives of people outside a reader's world, as he does in the bathhouses of "Istanbul." He doesn't waste words, and I for one was thankful for that mark of respect. He values his reader because he writes the poems in "Nine Horses" with clarity and precision, and yet maintains an easy grace as he moves from line to line. In "Litany," Collins turns the idea of poetic imagery on itself with sparkling joviality, and it is easy to see why such poems have entered the popular mind so quickly. A personal favorite is "Tipping Point," which asks the question, When does life's wave crest to become an ebbing and not a flowing? No matter which poem I read, however, I couldn't wait to get to the next one. Collins is a modern talent, who is bringing poetry to the forefront of popular literature again (no, it never really went away, of course, but without poets like Collins, it might). I respect him because he, as a writer, respects his reader. I like his words because, well, they are fine words. Perhaps in time, his sparks of poetic brilliance will be a part of a great literary fire indeed.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: How bold it would be to be critical of a man who is Poet Laureate of the United States. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of criticisms to make. I have been a Collins fan for some time, having come across a poem of his in Poetry magazine and then reading his collection Questions About Angels. I've been reading his stuff ever since. I've never read a poet who keeps me enthralled on every page and Collins is no exception; however, there is a lot of good stuff here. "Night Letter to the Reader," "The Country," "Velocity," "Istanbul," "Love," "Creatures," "Birthday," "Albany," "Litany," "Bermuda" and "The Only Day in Existence" are among my favorites. I particularly like a poem called "Tipping Point" where Collins brings out the arbitrariness of measuring time and the subtlety of our sensations of time: "...the sensation you might feel/as you passed through the moment//at the exact center of your life/or as you crossed the equator at night in a boat." Would we want to be able to sense the midpoint of our lives? Could we? Any more than we could sense passing over the equator?--another arbitrary way to measure our world. And yet, we do sense things deeply, if only in the deep dark night or while walking in the rain. But Collins never dips to far into pretentiousness. In fact, in "Study in Orange and White" he illuminates the pretentiousness of titles. How many of us know that the painting generally referred to as "Whistler's mother" is in fact entitled "Arrangement in Gray and Black"? Then why not, Collins asks, Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" as "Composition is Blue, Ocher, Green, and Pink" or, best of all: "...a chef being roasted on a blazing spit/before an audience of ducks/and calling it ¡¥Study in Orange and White.'" I always enjoy a poet who can bring in some humor because I find this to be a weakness in my own poetry. Ultimately, as you read this poetry, you begin to realize that Collins is never far from you. This is not confessional poetry and yet the pronoun "I" appears in every single poem. But Collins is more of a friendly guide through his poetry than someone who is trying to beat you over the head with his themes. Collins has been compared to Frost and I think there is some truth in this. In this collection, Collins shows his Frost-like skill at presenting poems that are relatively short and very accessible in a surface reading but yield more if you want to put in some effort to dig a little deeper. This is an uncommon skill. Modern poetry is too often neglected in this country today. That is too bad. Here is a collection of poetry that deserves to be read. In these rather short poems, Collins uses his personality and experiences to give his readers a share of those experiences--experiences that are worthwhile.
Rating:
Summary: Surprise
Review: I don't know where I have been, but I just discovered Billy Collins a couple of weeks ago when he appeared in person for a poetry reading in Traverse City, Michigan. Wow! I bought Nine Horses and The Art of Drowning that night. Nine Horses is a wonderful book. Full of wit and humor along with very profound and meaningful poems. Most are short and the entire book can be read in no time at all. It was awesome seeing him in person, and I am glad I heard him read because I can now picture him and hear his voice when I read the poems. Nine Horses left me with a desire to read everything he has ever written - and I intend to do just that! His poems are fun, and some have an element of surprise at the end. Many are just the kind of thoughts that anyone might have on a lazy, summer afternoon while staring up at the clouds. Get this book. Read his poems, you will definitely not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous, Beautiful Poetry!
Review: I got this book Saturday morning and read it straight through, not something I often do with a book of poetry. Reading each poem was like looking into a lucid snapshot of a tiny fragment of life. I just felt happy to be alive and part of the luminous world he so magnificently described in his poems.....I highly recommend this book and plan to read all of Mr. Collins' poetry.
Rating:
Summary: Poetry for Everybody
Review: I may just be lazy, but I've always liked poetry, and literature in general, that seems born of an "everyday" life like I have lived. This doesn't mean that poetry needs to be unintelligent. It just means that I generally prefer Robert Frost or Emily Dickinson to T.S. Eliot or Wallace Stevens. If I have to take a semester class on something like Ulysses in order to have some grasp on it, it's not worth it to me, and such literature seems to be far too elitist. Luckily, we have writers like Billy Collins that can satisfy both my tastes and my professors'. Collins finds the beauty and humor and mystery inherent in the everyday. He is in awe of this world with all of its absurdities and simple marvels, and he has the language to express his wonder. He is one of those strange people that can still see, and reading his poetry can help us--all of us--to see as well.
Rating:
Summary: Finally!
Review: Like some expensive and well-prepared full-course meal at the most impressive restaurant in town, NINE HORSES leaves you satisfied and wanting to come back for more. The expert craftsmanship of this poetry is staggering. Beautifully constructed and paced with a brilliance not previously seen before, this collection will take your breath away. Finally, someone who knows how to write poetry that "makes sense" yet doesn't pander to the lowest common denominator. Also recommended: "Questions About Angels," McCrae's "Bark of the Dogwood" and "The Hours"
Rating:
Summary: No Sour Grapes Here
Review: Rather than reciting the names of poets who Billy Collins *isn't*, I'll simply say who Billy Collins *is* (in addition to being the U.S. Poet Laureate, and with good cause). Billy Collins is the first poet in a long time to have a huge readership, both among those who were admittedly NOT fans of poetry, and among those who are conoisseurs of poetry. Billy Collins is, then, the envy of poets who wish for high exposure, a large readership, and huge book sales. These things don't happen to just any poet. Collins is not just any poet. He's Billy Collins, in a category all his own. Collins's poems are fresh and inventive and at the same time take for their subject matter the everyday things we take for granted. He takes the most simple things and turns and turns them in a poem until we see them in a way we never could have without the intervention of his brilliant mind. He processes fresh, raw words and injects wit and feeling and makes of them a very fine wine. NINE HORSES is just as good a work as SAILING ALONE AROUND THE ROOM, which contains works from his previous books. Collins is at the top of his form, and without giving a play-by-play of some of the highlights of the book, I will just say that "Litany" alone is worth the cover price. Collins's intellect is richly sophisticated yet he talks like the neighbor next door. And, passing the test of true intelligence, he is able to explain lofty concepts so that even the simplest of minds can understand. Though, of course, he enraptures high-minded folks in the process.
Rating:
Summary: No Sour Grapes Here
Review: Rather than reciting the names of poets who Billy Collins *isn't*, I'll simply say who Billy Collins *is* (in addition to being the U.S. Poet Laureate, and with good cause). Billy Collins is the first poet in a long time to have a huge readership, both among those who were admittedly NOT fans of poetry, and among those who are conoisseurs of poetry. Billy Collins is, then, the envy of poets who wish for high exposure, a large readership, and huge book sales. These things don't happen to just any poet. Collins is not just any poet. He's Billy Collins, in a category all his own. Collins's poems are fresh and inventive and at the same time take for their subject matter the everyday things we take for granted. He takes the most simple things and turns and turns them in a poem until we see them in a way we never could have without the intervention of his brilliant mind. He processes fresh, raw words and injects wit and feeling and makes of them a very fine wine. NINE HORSES is just as good a work as SAILING ALONE AROUND THE ROOM, which contains works from his previous books. Collins is at the top of his form, and without giving a play-by-play of some of the highlights of the book, I will just say that "Litany" alone is worth the cover price. Collins's intellect is richly sophisticated yet he talks like the neighbor next door. And, passing the test of true intelligence, he is able to explain lofty concepts so that even the simplest of minds can understand. Though, of course, he enraptures high-minded folks in the process.
Rating:
Summary: Succulent feast
Review: The assorted poems in this collection by the Poet Laureate of the United States cover a variety of topics, mostly mundane, yet all like paeans to everyday life. Collins writes in what seems to be another language which is brighter, more evocative, more robust that regular speech. Every poem is a morsel to savor and ponder and exude. Each of the four sections holds its own and also expands the themes running through the collection, creating a majestic scope of living in the reader's mind. This is a stunning and inspiring collection of poetry that proves why Collins is the Poet Laureate.
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