Parthenopi

by Michael Waters

Vivid, sensual poems evoking the poignancy of love and loss.

Genres: Poetry

130 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2000

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

The volume gets stronger almost precisely as it advances. The earlier poems, dealing with childhood remembrances and youthful passions, are well-crafted and at times moving and incisive, but there is an air of sentimentality and a formulaic quality lingering in many of them. The later poems though, which deal with mortality (and immortal forces), marriage, divorce and sex are strong, most especially travel encounters with an unforgettably evoked series of creatures and artifacts -- sea turtles, morpho, driftwood, conch, torches and more -- that illuminate and transform reality into a hard and rippling beauty.