In this Book
- The Least of These
- Book
- 2010
- Published by: Michigan State University Press
In his third collection of poems Todd Davis advises us that "the only corruption comes / in not loving this life enough." Over the course of this masterful and heartfelt book it becomes clear that Davis not only loves the life he's been given, but also believes that the ravishing desire of this world can offer hope, and even joy, however it might be negotiated.
Drawing upon a range of stories from the Christian, Transcendental, and Asian traditions, as well as from his own deep understanding of the natural world, Davis explores the connection between the visible and invisible worlds, or what Pierre Teilhard de Chardin called "the incandescent surface of matter plunged in God."
A direct poetic descendant of Walt Whitman, Davis invites us to sing "the songs we collect in the hymnals of our flesh- / impromptu, a cappella, our mouths flung open / in a great wide O."
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Last of December
- p. 3
- I.
- The Face of Jesus
- p. 10
- Confession
- p. 12
- Half in the Sun
- p. 18
- Weather Report
- p. 19
- Forgive Me
- p. 21
- Our Forgetting
- p. 26
- The Fish in the Cage
- p. 31
- Black Water
- p. 33
- Again, at Daybreak
- p. 36
- II.
- Like a Thief
- pp. 44-45
- Aesthetics
- p. 48
- The Rhododendron
- p. 49
- The Sunflower
- p. 54
- Gastronomy
- p. 56
- Christmas Eve
- p. 57
- Winter Morning
- p. 58
- Responsibility
- p. 59
- Farm Wives
- p. 60
- Note to Walt Whitman
- p. 61
- Shibboleth
- p. 62
- He Woke Up Dead
- p. 63
- Why We Don’t Die
- p. 67
- The Saints of April
- p. 69
- The Least of These
- p. 73
- Happy for This
- p. 74
- Last Supper
- p. 77
- III.
- April Poem
- p. 81
- Turkey Hunting
- p. 82
- Keeping Secrets
- p. 91
- Field Mouse
- p. 94
- Far Afield
- p. 97
- Now When We Kiss
- p. 100
- Barn Swallows
- p. 101
- Cows Running
- p. 104
- The Sleep of Pears
- p. 105
- Indian Summer
- p. 108
- Yellow Light
- p. 109
- Solvitur Ambulando
- p. 111
- Apology to Crows
- p. 113
- Bacchanalian Interlude
- p. 114
- House of the World
- p. 115
- Tree of Heaven
- pp. 117-119
- Acknowledgments
- pp. 123-125
- About the Author
- p. 127
Additional Information
Copyright
2010
Project MUSE Mission
Project MUSE promotes the creation and dissemination of essential humanities and social science resources through collaboration with libraries, publishers, and scholars worldwide. Forged from a partnership between a university press and a library, Project MUSE is a trusted part of the academic and scholarly community it serves.
