In this Book
- That That
- Book
- 2015
- Published by: Wayne State University Press
summary
Poet Ken Mikolowski ran a letterpress printing house for over thirty years, setting poems by hand, one letter at a time—an experience that influenced his love of short verse. In That That, Mikolowski presents his trademark quirky, humorous, and insighful poems, none longer than three brief lines and some made up of only two or three carefully chosen words. Together, these poems create a narrative of life and love broken down to the most minimal of forms.
Mikolowski’s deceptively simple collection takes readers on a whirlwind tour through weighty topics and humorous vignettes. He reflects on the nature of art, identity, and legacy in poems that muse in their entirety, “I’ve never met a deadline / I’ve ever met yet” and “Why I am not a New York poet / Detroit.” Mikolowski also gives unparalleled assessments of serious subjects like love, aging, and death, declaring, “Sometimes / I don’t think of you / for hours” and “Getting old / gets old / real quick.” Some poems are more lighthearted and delight only in the wordplay of rhyme or unexpected imagery, adding an unmistakably playful element to this spare but polished volume.
Mikolowski’s collection demonstrates the singular power of language in the hands of a master craftsman. That That will be read and re-read by anyone interested in short poetry.
Table of Contents
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- THIS IS THIS
- p. 3
- BLACK WORDS
- p. 6
- ARS NICE POETICA
- p. 7
- SHE THINKS
- p. 8
- GETTING OLD
- p. 9
- FAT MAN BLUES
- p. 13
- PALINDROME
- p. 15
- YOU AND ME
- p. 16
- CORN FIELD
- p. 21
- ANYTHING CAN BE ART
- p. 23
- SANITATION
- p. 27
- NOTHING ELSE
- p. 31
- PERMITTED TO FEEL
- p. 32
- SHORT NOVEL
- p. 33
- THIS IS (not a poem)
- p. 36
- YOUR LIP ON IT
- p. 44
- NO MATTER HOW MUCH
- p. 47
- ECONOMIC CRISIS
- p. 49
- REINCARNATION
- p. 56
- NOT THE BIRD
- p. 57
- QUANTUM POEM
- p. 61
- REMEMBER ME
- p. 62
- THERE IS (no more)
- pp. 70-72
Additional Information
ISBN
9780814340660
Related ISBN(s)
9780814340653
MARC Record
OCLC
908127343
Pages
80
Launched on MUSE
2015-04-28
Language
English
Open Access
No