Toxic Flora: Poems

by Kimiko Hahn

“[Kimiko] Hahn’s frankness . . . allows [these poems] to stand out as starkly fresh as the carnivorous plants she describes.”― American Poet For Kimiko Hahn, the language and imagery of science open up magical possibilities for the poet. In her haunting eighth collection inspired by articles from the weekly “Science” section of the New York Times , Hahn explores identity, extinction, and survival using exotic tropes drawn from the realms of astrophysics, mycology, paleobotany, and other rarefied fields. With warmth and generosity, Hahn mines the world of science in these elegant, ardent poems.

from “On Deceit as Survival”
Yet another species resembles
a female bumble bee,
ending in frustrated trysts―
or appears to be two fractious males
which also attracts―no surprise―
a third curious enough to join the fray.
What to make of highly evolved Beauty
bent on deception as survival―

Genres: Poetry, Female Authors, Nature

126 pages, Paperback

First published May 3, 2010

About the author

Kimiko Hahn is the author of seven poetry collections. The Unbearable Heart won the Before Columbus Foundation’s American Book Award. She has received numerous grants, including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and a Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Award. She teaches at Queens College/The City University of New York.

Reviews

[Jessamyn Duckwall · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars not because the poems are bad, but because i had high hopes for this one due to a recommendation from another poet, and because the premise and title made me feel that these poems would be right up my alley, which they unfortunately weren’t. the tone was too light and breezy and witty for me. i also really didn’t like how most of the poems ended with a kind of “clever” quippy last line which created a “tie the bow on the box” effect that i’m usually disappointed by. these poems felt very in the head, not the heart or gut or bones or blood. if you know what i mean.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

When the science nerd decides they are also a poet. Loved all the bits about sexual cannibalism but Green Porno this ain't.

[S P · Rating 3 out of 5]

'The rafflesia,
whose blossoms measure a yard across

and evolved from the poinsettia and passion family,
smells as rank as rotten flesh

so that carrion flies

searching for a stinking carcass
will assist in its pollination.

How to measure such passion
and which is the daughter as she phones from ferry or dormitory:

blossom or swarm?'

('Passion', p20)

[Arden Grey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoilers for topics, not the poems themselves

I liked the cannibalism and space.

[Peggy Heitmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book on the high praise and recommendation of a friend. There are many interesting lines, but as a collection I found myself only loving one, and liking a couple of others. The poem I think deserves high praise is "Space." Kimiko asks "What kind of astral influence is it/ where in varying degrees of reversal/ a thing breaks down/ yet shows no sign of ceasing?" Now there is a question to ponder.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title is brilliant: these poems burst with life; it isn't always pretty but it is never dull. I love how human life emerges among the insects and fish here, too. A whole-hearted homage to science writers and writing. (I took a workshop with Kimiko, and found her teaching to be as clear and fine as these poems.)

[Kate]

Sometimes I found this a little too pat. But I am a sucker for biological fun facts.

[Jean Buehler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I laughed, I cried, I did a very complicated and cathartic jig.

[sylas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting. It is definitely the most scientific poetry I’ve ever read, which engaged me. That being said, I don’t love poetry and I did grow somewhat weary of reading this book. But I think it was so smart that it deserves four stars, even if it was worth fewer stars in my heart.

(SPL 2018 book bingo: about the environment)

[Janée Baugher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired by articles from the weekly SCIENCE section of the New York Times. This authors "mines the world of science," or so sayeth the book's jacket copy. She uses mainly botany as influence. Do these poems go deep enough, far enough? You'll have to read the book to determine that for yourself. While reading this book, I kept thinking of Poet James Wright's famous line, "I have wasted my life."

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating read, as Hahn goes off the beaten path to provide innovative and refreshing poems inspired by science. As someone with a passion for both science and poetry, it was neat to see these two worlds artfully collide in "Toxic Flora."

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read, still great

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

a few very good moments! trying to get a little more conservative with my ratings bc 6/10 is not bad at all

[andré crombie · Rating 4 out of 5]

“When the stunning huia became scarce,
Maori priests would declare a ban
on killing these small black birds, so prized,
their tail feathers were presented as mementos
and worn in battle and funeral rites.
But the Europeans ignored the priests
and soon the Maori themselves did not listen.
So now, the males with their short sharp beaks
to drill through bark and the females
with their long bowed ones to pluck out the grubs
have perished but for museum specimens.
Is this how we admire success in pairing—
kill then stuff then display as exemplar?
Ah, my beloved, hold fast to me, in terror.”

[D'Argo Agathon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Yeah… I don’t do “nature poetry”. Nor do I like it. I think it’s the most contrived and least interesting object for poetry possible. Well, at least Hahn tried something a little innovative – she uses scientific terms, a more conversational tone rather than a reverent one, and follows a bit of a stream-of-consciousness narrative structure.

But none of these creative facets really makes it for me. If fact, the stream-of-consciousness and strange metaphor make Hahn’s poetry far more inaccessible to me than the scientific terminology does. Take, for example, “The Diaspora of Sadness”; I suppose “field hand” is supposed to tie into “Costa Rica” and “diaspora,” but it is so vague… and how it relates to the butterfly is left unmentioned (granted, it could be drawing a connection between caterpillars-to-butterflies and the diaspora of field workers, but that is so cliché… is that really the extent of Hahn’s imagination?). It’s too contrived.

The “flower thoughts” – the poems? in front of a flower background on certain pages (an introduction to a new “section”?) – I thought was an interesting touch, if only because I get an illustration to take my mind off of how much I don’t care about “off-putting soap” or what a “Florida scientist” did. Couldn’t Hahn at least have given a name, so that I would feel somehow emotionally invested in the story? That is, I think, the crux of it: not only do I not care about the content, but I’m not shown why I should care. Aside from there being a lot of poems here, and that she talks about them as if she cares, I don’t see the *passion* that Hahn has for these things.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love what Hahn does in this collection; she takes science articles from newspapers and journals and writes poems inspired from those that catch her attention. These aren't just a reiteration of some of the facts she found fascinating, but reflections on these facts which she connects to the human experience and sometimes to her own life. The first half of the poems she has here tend to be scientific or factual; then they proceed to making a connection to human life as a whole or a personal experience. Her poems have a playful, yet meditative tone. Some recurring themes are the relationship between parents and daughters, mating and courtship, adaption and survival, and the impact humans have on nature. The natural imagery is beautiful and her lines pack a punch. You have to do a little research of course, to understand the scientific terms if you're not familiar with them, but that's alright; the articles are cited at the back of the book.

[Aurelio Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es un bonito poemario que relaciona ciertas plantas y animales con algunos aspectos del comportamiento humano. La voz lírica trata de entender la relción que tiene ella con sus hijas, con otras personas y consigo misma ofreciendo en forma de versos alguna información sobre plantas exóticas o del mundo natural. A veces me parece un ejercicio un tanto repetitivo, pero los poemas me parecen curiosos y las comparaciones ingeniosas. He disfrutado mucho la lectura y relectura de algunos.

[Emily Graves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hahn takes her inspiration from the Science section of the New York Times and the result is simply fabulous. Some of the poems are sad, ruminating on life and mortality, other are acerbically hilarious. My favorite, Big Feathered Hats, made me laugh out loud at my desk. Some of the metaphors are a little weak and forced (particularly the ones about motherhood), but some of these poems are going to be among my favorites for years for sheer cleverness alone.

[Paula Koneazny · Rating 3 out of 5]

My interest in Hahn's Toxic Flora stems from my own obsession with the intersection of science & poetry. These are pleasing, well-crafted lyric poems. Nothing too adventurous in terms of form or language. Some interesting twists on insect cannibalistic mating habits & edgy mother-daughter relationships.

[Grace W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book after hearing Kimiko Hahn read at the National Book Fair. An interesting mix of science and poetry. I enjoyed some more than others but on the whole I found them to be very interesting in their use of metaphor. I would have liked to see her play with some different forms in the book. Hahn is very talented. I look forward to reading more of her works.

[Cindy Huyser · Rating 3 out of 5]

These poems offer nature's workings as metaphor for human relationship; they are full of sophisticated turns and startling insights. I particularly enjoyed the poems focused mother/daughter relationship. The way Hahn weaves scientific detail into the poems is truly a pleasure, though some of the poems reach for their turns, and can feel a little formulaic. Well worth reading, nonetheless.

[Gwen Hurd · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hahn doesn't seem to have any real connection with nature.

She eloquently and dispassionately describes science.

This collection was really boring.

The only good poems were "Demeter's Cuttings" and "The Sweetwater Caverns" which were lovely and authentic. Everything else felt really forced.

[Erika Dreifus]

Stay tuned for an interview with Kimiko Hahn--focusing on Toxic Flora, in the July issue of The Practicing Writer newsletter. (ARC from Norton)

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favor poets, but not one of my favorites of her collection. An interesting idea, though, to take scientific articles and respond to them in poetry.

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, Kimiko Hahn takes my breath. Her poems are as much symphonies as they are exhumations.

[Lilith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The section of this book that saved it for me was the last one, in which every poem was excellent. Otherwise a lot of it is abrupt in a particular way that felt like leaping.

[Amanda Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some wonderful gestures in this book that bring together science reporting, formal experimentation, and glimpses of narrative that bind these elements with personal relevance.