Lightning at Dinner

by Jim Moore

“Jim Moore writes of history, of love, of pain, of the intimate revelations of a consciousness alive to itself.”—C. K. williams

It is not beautiful, this dying,
but it is what this god has for a tool.
—from “Blood Harmony”

Jim Moore’s sixth collection—urgent and devotional—bears down on loss and how to render it in art with clarity enough to outlast our small, brief lives. These poems explore the places where the self meets the world, whether in the guise of a dying mother, another country, or a war fought against one’s wishes, in one’s own name.

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian note: There is more than one author with this name.

Reviews

[Sara (onourshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was nice. I don't really have any strong feelings about it, but I liked it. My fav poems in this collection were:
-You are Human
-Learning a New Language
-At Night We Read Aloud The Aeneid
-On the Train to Venice
-Against Empire

[whatibereadingwhenimnotsleeping · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was free in a class and I’ve read it , they were some good poems tho but it was okey

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first two sections of this book I would give 5 stars too--so clear-sighted about the poignancy of watching a parent age.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book of poems that I want to keep rereading. Went to Jim Moore's reading and Q&A at Mager's & Quinn. He is humble and talented, and makes me believe in the mystery of poetry. Among my favorite in his book- Learning a New Language- about Italian and a mountain, many short poems (which he knew were his strength at age 23 but ignored it because he was too young) and It is not the fact that I will die that I mind-- it is no one will know how to love his family and dog the way he did.

[LemontreeLime · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times rough to read, and at times very lovely. I really could sense the difficulty he must have had with his mother's death. The first part and the second part of the book are so different as to almost confuse, but it works. I do wish there had been more in the title poem, it feels as if it got started.. and the rest wasn't published yet. Would like to have heard the rest of the story.

[Mayumi Amargo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely poetry that touches upon death of a parent, and love. The first couple of poems allowed me to have a good cry in the middle of a coffee shop with my sister. " I too am learning a verb: to love/ --past, present, imperfect, future." Moore

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

accessible and thoughtful