Granted

by Mary Szybist

Using natural, biblical, and classical imagery, these poems explore the difficulties of faith and love—particularly the difficulties of their expression, their performance. Moving between dramatic and interior monologue, and moving through intersecting histories, the ambiguities of inwardness and the eros of wakeful existence, these poems search for relationships with self, others, the world and God that are authentic—however quirky or strange.

"This is poetry of a rare fine delicacy. Its very modesty testifies to a great ambition—to overcome by the quietest of means."—Donald Justice

In Tennessee I Found a Firefly
Flashing in the grass; the mouth of a spider clung
to the dark of it: the legs of the spider
held the tucked wings close,
held the abdomen still in the midst of calling
with thrusts of phosphorescent light—

When I am tired of being human, I try to remember
the two stuck together like burrs. I try to place them
central in my mind where everything else must
surround them, must see the burr and the barb of them.
There is courtship, and there is hunger. I suppose
there are grips from which even angels cannot fly.
Even imagined ones. Luciferin, luciferase.
When I am tired of only touching,
I have my mouth to try to tell you
what, in your arms, is not erased

"This is poetry of a rare fine delicacy. Its very modesty testifies to a great ambition—to overcome by the quietest of means."—Donald Justice

Genres: Poetry, Religion, Fiction

58 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Mary Szybist is the author of a Granted, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She teaches at Lewis & Clark College and lives in Portland, Oregon.

Reviews

[Marguerite Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these are positively liturgical:
"Sometimes it's too hard with words or dark or silence.
Tonight I want a prayer of high-rouged cheekbones
and light: a litany of back-lit figures,
...
And the prayer will not be crowded.
...
our goodness will not matter
in a prayer so light, so empty it will float."

A collection to savor. This one's a keeper.

[Dayna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Granted was a slight come down for me because I read Incarnadine first and loved it so much. I was expecting more from this book, and while there are still poetic gems in it, thematically it doesn't feel like it holds together as tightly as Incarnadine does.

[Caitlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of poetry for the year. Okay maybe longer than just the year.

[Tyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

idk what the hell happened but it was beautiful

[Jeremy · Rating 2 out of 5]

"What the World Is For" / "In the Glare of the Garden" / "Heaven in Miniature" / "In Tennessee I Found a Firefly"

[Bjorn Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rare to have a poet so vividly, so unmistakeably, so symbolically go after some hard truths. Namely, what we long for in love, and how our lives of passion actually play out and what patterns we get trapped in. If one doesn't make early, naive mistakes - and we all do - then we are still left with relationships that don't always make us whole nor strong, independent people. Yet, there is longing, there are ideals...there are wonderings about the machinations of heaven. Here is "Monologue to Be Spoken by an Archangel":

Snow! & snow of Our Lady!
Know the lamb

has dropped into sleep, numb,
stiff as a courtier, the lamb

(Hands indicating the motions of waves)

is not with you.

(A long time passes)

...and Our Lady grows
distressingly simple, caught
beneath stones, her white
bruises... Who has

(Indicating the eyes)

not been God's thief?

(disappears)

Our Lady! is dizzy,
ill, among sparrows-She
is stripped and salts herself.
When she cries, she cries
out to...

(Indicating absence)

...Who
has not been God's wife?


I found Szybist's style to be daringly abstract/symbolic, making the language lush and colorful and the messages behind the words emotionally powerful. Her commentary is more about the world than her own efforts and responsibilities, but in her stories we find a call for higher existences here on earth, for expectations that love can mean more than it ever has. A creative, revealing voice.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorites: "What If I Could Look at You," "What the World Is For," "Long After the Donkey and the Desert," "Crylight," "Approaching Elegy," and "In Tennessee I Found a Firefly"

[Grace]

It feels strange rating this book, which was written by my high school English teacher, so I won't. I can only say I really enjoyed reading this collection and I think I'll read it again sometime.

[M · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Mouths of Carp

Seem to gasp that they are unfinished.

Below the bridge, above the gray surface of the water,
their heads upright as candles.
They open and reopen at their mouths.

I meant not to hesitate:
meant to feed them, but the way their mouths gape,
almost whine--

Look: the carp can withstand fasting.
Like the glass eyes of saints, their eyes
have cooled into unfocus,
their bodies have become sleep, their movements quick
and agile, and I'm glad just to watch their mouths
glisten, dumb as halos.

[Nikki · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved some of the poems, especially "Mutatis Mutandis" and "In Tennessee I Found A Firefly" but overall, I found this collection underwhelming.

I'm looking forward to reading her National Book Award winner collection, though.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Evidence of the brilliance which would emerge fully in Incarnadine is already present here, but this is a far less accomplished, less assured volume.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag for me.

[Vincent Scarpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"When I am tired of only touching,
I have my mouth to try to tell you
what, in your arms, is not erased.” — “In Tennessee I Found a Firefly”

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite poems are Apology and In Tennessee I Found a Firefly.

[fati · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would leave you then / if only the rush of the wind streaming between my teeth / could thrill me. / I would leave you if anything could.

[Carly Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

My goodness, this book found me at the right time. Truly a collection that I'll be rereading again.

[AJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this over the course of a bus ride. Sobbed. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

[tonia peckover · Rating 5 out of 5]

(all books get 5 stars) Szybist stirs the surface so gently and then leaves you with ripples that linger for days.

[june · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Brian Wasserman · Rating 2 out of 5]

not my favorite, not at all my favorite. Incarnadine, also by Szybist is significantly greater, in Incarnadine there is a certain spirtualism, that I want Szybist to expand upon, some poems are great but still i think she should stick to that style of poetry, poetry written with a spiritual affectation, similar to Spanish poets, Fray Louis and St John of the Cross. Granted is an attempt on the sequence to writing better poetry, the thoughts are there, but the delivery falls short.

[Twila Newey · Rating 4 out of 5]

54pp. Szybist's poetry joins the sacred and the sensual. She uses scriptural stories to explore the physical, the body, something theology often treats as "profane". I love poetry that challenges established ways of seeing, explores new possibility and plays with language in surprising ways. I think good poetry is, most often, disruptive. Szybist hits that mark. Not quite as good as Incarnadine but still worth reading, probably several times.

[Alison Sea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this. I don't usually read a lot of poetry or fiction with biblical and classical imagery, and I think this was a good first book for me. I definitely want to read more from this author. "Mutatis Mutandis", "What the World is For", "Crylight", "The technique of the Lifelike", and "Approaching Elegy" were my favorites.

[Doug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding!

[Anna Keating · Rating 1 out of 5]

With one or two exceptions, including some lovely lines on Odysseus, I didn't get what she was after.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection that clearly contains the seeds for her second book.

[Cade Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely first collection by one of my favorite professors. Serves as a nice warm-up to Incarnadine.

[Crystal]

I was excited to read this but ultimately felt Szybist's second full length, Incarnadine, surpassed her debut by far.

[Christopher McCaffery]

I found this very difficult. Maybe later I will take to it better.