Views from Along the Middle Way

by Thomas Centolella

In Thomas Centolella's newest book, he asserts the need "to make peace / with the indeterminate"—a journey that leads him from the tenuous nature of human intimacy into philosophical considerations from the East and the West. The "Middle Way" of the title derives from both Buddha and on one hand it's the middle ground between the extremes of asceticism and self-indulgence, on the other it's an Inferno- like overview of middle age. Against the background of daily life in San Francisco, Centolella examines the complications of love in its various the deviousness of romance; the necessity for, and limits of, compassion; and ultimately, the "quality of attention and intention" which sustains the indefatigable possibility at the center of the search for "the Other." In a style that ranges from long-lined, highly detailed and conversation narratives, to shorter lyrical ruminations, to the distilled, quiet utterances of haiku, Centolella presents the flow of a consciousness in flux—solitary and engaged, intimate with both the ephemeral and enduring—but always in wonder at its own sustenance. From View #1: West Starting out, my heart
was only human size. So how
did this world come to fit
so beautifully into it? Thomas Centolella 's first book Terra Firma was chosen by Denise Levertov for the National Poetry Series, and won the Before Columbus Foundation American Book Award and the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award. A recipient of the Lannan Literary Fellowship, this is his third book of poetry. He lives in San Francisco.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2002

About the author

Thomas Centolella is the author of four books of poetry: "Terra Firma," selected by Denise Levertov for the National Poetry Series and winner of the American Book Award; "Lights & Mysteries," winner of the California Book Award from the Commonwealth Club; "Views from along the Middle Way"; and "Almost Human," winner of the Dorset Prize from Tupelo Press, selected by Edward Hirsch. He has received a Lannan Literary Award and is a former Stegner Fellow at Stanford University. He has taught creative writing in the Bay Area for many years.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying this poet very much. This collection seems to me more views of life than the people in his life. Sometimes a very Buddhist approach to making peace with this life. A lovely fragment of a poem that is a meditation on a peach which is so sensual. Weather and what helps. There are many ideas I'm sure I missed, but I understand the language of these poems. Already looking forward to rereading these poems.

[Karima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely breathtaking!
Here's an excerpt of one of his poems titled
"Some Little Happiness"

Some little happiness lives
in our eyes, in our skin,
leaves a trace in the lines
around our tired mouths.

Some little happiness.

We don't have to deserve it,
we don't have to expect it,
we don't even have to admit
how much we need it.

and some little happiness
will rest its hands,
will tell us, Take me,
I won't be here that long,
and neither will you.

My suggestion:
Take this book,a dear friend and a bottle of good wine
Go somewhere special (somewhere outdoors)
Read this.

p.s. If you don't have a dear friend available, don't despair. Do it anyway. This book is your friend.
So are you.

[Allyson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book gets better in the second half. Favorite poems: "The Blue Flame," "Nail," and "Solar."

[unnarrator · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Solar" was okies, as Ms. Allyson already said. Centered ugly here, but you get the idea.

http://www.panhala.net/Archive/Solar....