Covet

by Lynnell Edwards

covet (k\u00fah-vit)v. to desire, esp. to desire eagerly, to wish for, long for. As in to covet anotherÆs belongings, the ghosts of households and fixtures, their voices or warnings. she coveted the fine table, the rich furnishings of her neighborÆs home. As in to covet the past, a lost year, a lost life or one not lived. turning the photograph of her parents over in her hand, she imagined their happiness and coveted what might have been. As in to eagerly wish for the health, well-being of one for whom responsibility is given, or a child. she coveted, above all, happiness for her sons. Or, to want that (i.e. person) which one may not have, desire to possess another. thou shalt not covet.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

About the author

Lynnell Major Edwards is the author of three full-length collections of poetry, Covet (2011) The Highwayman’s Wife and The Farmer's Daughter, (Red Hen Press, 2007, 2003). Her work has appeared on Verse Daily and in numerous literary journals including: Poems & Plays, Southern Poetry Review, The Los Angeles Review, Poetry East, and Dos Passos Review. She is a regular reviewer for The Georgia Review, and Pleiades. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky where she is on the faculty at Spalding University. She received her doctorate in English at the University of Louisville, her undergraduate degree at Centre College in Kentucky, and is the recipient of a 2007 Al Smith Fellowship from the Kentucky Arts Council. She is also president of Louisville Literary Arts, inc. a non-profit literary arts organization which sponsors The Writer's Block Festival and the monthly InKY reading series in Louisville, Ky.

Reviews

[Sherry Chandler · Rating 5 out of 5]

My review is here.

[Charlotte Pence · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intimate and richly detailed poems. I especially liked the ones that serve as instructions to sons.