Say Uncle: Poems

Rating:
Summary: Ryan's best to date.
Review: Between the subtle rhyme, brevity, and insight, this is by far my favorite of Kay Ryan's books. Blandeur (included in this volume) has been included in literature textbooks already. This is definitely a book to own (especially at under $10), read, and re-read. Great for killing time between class, elevators, busrides, car rides, flights... So yeah, buy it, and even if it's not your cup of tea, it's still less than a meal at Denny's (with tip at least.)

Rating:
Summary: Not blown away
Review: I bought this book after reading two 5 star reviews. I am amazed that we read the same book. These poems are cute and witty, sometimes provocative (e.g. "Herring" and "Failure 2") but they never left me breathless. Perhaps my standards are too high. Kay Ryan's gift is her ability to write tight short poems that always contain subtle rhyme schemes. However, she rarely has anything important to say and her poems have no emotional power. Again, perhaps my standards are too high. Or maybe I have just been spoiled by the works of poets like Lucille Clifton and Joy Harjo. I recommend this book for large libraries only. If you looking for poetry that is fresh, emotional powerful, and relevant to the everyday world that we live in, try anything by Clifton, Harjo, E. Ethelbert Miller and Diane Lockward.

Rating:
Summary: "uncle!"
Review: lyrics of moral turpitude and musical agility (the brief lines of Kay Ryan maintain their integrity), and therein lies their beauty.

Rating:
Summary: what seems like a string of words can carry much weight
Review: These poems insist on their verticality as they run down the page. Their weight and glow however resides in little unexpected turns in meaning that place us squarrely in the thouroughly ambiguous world we live in. We are told that wasted time and other common negative experiences need to be accepted as maybe something like a musical pause, as crucial as the rest of the notes to the sound of the music. Reading these poems I can feel a connection with the anecdotes of Porchia or Francis Ponge's underrated work. Ryan's voice is totaly unique but I can't help recalling also Elisabeth Bishop and that marvelous poem about the little marvel stove, so full of forgiveness and yet cooly tight as a work of art.

Rating:
Summary: Exquisite
Review: Transparent, yet fathomless as a crystal ball, these poems continue to speak after countless readings, not yet yielding up their secrets. Incredibly rich, they go down oh-so-easy, a verbal tiramisu. Small, yet amazingly dense, like gold nuggets. Impeccable logic, impeccable use of language. Gorgeous, and mysterious. Moving and inspiring. Kay Ryan delivers on William Carlos Williams' famous lines: It is difficult/to get the news from poems/yet men die every day/for lack/of what is found there.