My Body: New and Selected Poems

by Joan Larkin

Poetry. "Over the decades of writing, Joan Larkin has proved her mastery, whether the poem is mythic, elegiac, or biographical. Her honesty is overwhelming, but it is coupled with poetic cunning, gorgeous language and a rhythm and tone so precise and appropriate that it is--as in the great poets--transparent. There are no tricks and no evasive moves, nothing that in ten years she will be ashamed of or confused by. She is a poet of compassion and pity. Where it is appropriate, she is merciless, especially to herself. I love reading her poems; I love reading them over and over. I salute her"--Gerald Stern.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT

149 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2007

Reviews

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joan Larkin's poetry covers thirty years and parts of four decades in this collection as she grapples with themes of sexuality, love, family, and loss, much of it autobiographical. She presents the new poems first and then moves backward in time. Taking them all into consideration, I can see the maturity and growth of her writing in the most recent poems, yet there is so much in every decade.

[s · Rating 4 out of 5]

“want” is a poem i wish i wrote. most of these were beautiful and many will linger

[Anežka · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you pinterest for introducing me to the poem Want (forever changed my life) and joan larkin