Here

by Maxine Chernoff

Poetry. HERE explores a method of expansiveness, how poems sustain a very long line, taking in emotions, objects, and scenes as they appear or are built. Stretching the concept of sentence and description to capacity, the poems witness such subjects as public commemoration and war, the death of a friend, and the distinct mood of love in relation to one's environment and powers of description. Unlike its predecessor WITHOUT, written in short lines and a terse diction, HERE is a celebration of just that, the here and now—how we inhabit it affectively and visually, how we represent it and build small narratives from the scarcest of clues.

84 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2014

Reviews

[Marilyn Lanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how Chernoff often writes in a narrative style, but with language and evocative images that are pure poetry. Her first poem in this collection, "A House in Summer," is one of my favorites. The poet poignantly portrays a woman's reflections of times with her former husband "the moment's surprises and disappointments and failure to love quite well enough" when she revisits the familiar beach house.