Aimless Love: New and Selected Poems

by Billy Collins

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER“America’s favorite poet.”—The Wall Street JournalFrom the two-term Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins comes his first volume of new and selected poems in twelve years. Aimless Love combines fifty new poems with generous selections from his four most recent books—Nine Horses, The Trouble with Poetry, Ballistics, and Horoscopes for the Dead. Collins’s unmistakable voice, which brings together plain speech with imaginative surprise, is clearly heard on every page, reminding us how he has managed to enrich the tapestry of contemporary poetry and greatly expand its audience. His work is featured in top literary magazines such as The New Yorker, Poetry, and The Atlantic, and he sells out reading venues all across the country. Appearing regularly in The Best American Poetry series, his poems appeal to readers and live audiences far and wide and have been translated into more than a dozen languages. By turns playful, ironic, and serious, Collins’s poetry captures the nuances of everyday life while leading the reader into zones of inspired wonder. In the poet’s own words, he hopes that his poems “begin in Kansas and end in Oz.” Touching on the themes of love, loss, joy, and poetry itself, these poems showcase the best work of this “poet of plenitude, irony, and Augustan grace” (The New Yorker).Envoy   Go, little book, out of this house and into the world,   carriage made of paper rolling toward town bearing a single passenger beyond the reach of this jittery pen and far from the desk and the nosy gooseneck lamp.   It is time to decamp, put on a jacket and venture outside, time to be regarded by other eyes, bound to be held in foreign hands.   So off you go, infants of the brain, with a wave and some bits of fatherly   stay out as late as you like, don’t bother to call or write, and talk to as many strangers as you can.Praise for Aimless Love   “[Billy Collins] is able, with precious few words, to make me cry. Or laugh out loud. He is a remarkable artist. To have such power in such an abbreviated form is deeply inspiring.”—J. J. Abrams, The New York Times Book Review   “His work is poignant, straightforward, usually funny and imaginative, also nuanced and surprising. It bears repeated reading and reading aloud.”—The Plain Dealer   “Collins has earned almost rock-star status. . . . He knows how to write layered, subtly witty poems that anyone can understand and appreciate—even those who don’t normally like poetry. . . . The Collins in these pages is distinctive, evocative, and knows how to make the genre fresh and relevant.”—The Christian Science Monitor   “Collins’s new poems contain everything you've come to expect from a Billy Collins poem. They stand solidly on even ground, chiseled and unbreakable.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Audiobook, Adult, Contemporary, Humor, American

289 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 22, 2013

About the author

William James Collins is an American poet who served as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. He was a Distinguished Professor at Lehman College of the City University of New York, retiring in 2016. Collins was recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004 through 2006. In 2016, Collins was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. As of 2020, he is a teacher in the MFA program at Stony Brook Southampton.

Reviews

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Heather Fineisen · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing better than reading Billy Collins is listening to Billy Collins. His witty word placement is a sophisticated SNL (Saturday Night Live) skit that can make you laugh out loud at first glance, but mourn at the irony of our own ridiculousness. Litany stands as one of my all time favorites, and Collins, with his Kevin Spacey voice, is the bread and the knife and the wine in my book.


book provided by publisher, audio bought with my husband's very hard earned money.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

“How universal to be living a life of continual self-expression” (4.5 stars)

I like Billy Collins. I like him a lot. He is a remarkably accessible poet, and his collection AIMLESS LOVE, which combines some new pieces with selections from earlier collections, is a fine example of his work. I won’t pretend to write a formally critical review. Instead, I’ll simply share the highlights that stood out to me.

One of my favorite pieces in the book is “Tipping Point”. It’s a brilliant, quick, and clever meditation on mortality, understated yet striking. Similarly, “Elk River Falls” captivated me with its playful use of punctuation and its unexpected depth. You finish it and realize it has more meaning than you anticipated. “Flock” is another standout. Like much of Collins’s work, it’s witty and accessible, but beneath the surface it’s profoundly moving. That cleverness paired with depth seems to be one of his trademarks.
There’s “The Lanyard”-this poem actually made me teary-eyed. It’s funny and tender all at once, a rare combination. One poem that particularly exemplifies Collins’s ability to capture universal truths is “The Chairs That No One Sits In”. It’s a perfect reflection on those quiet, ordinary details that somehow speak to the deepest parts of our humanity. The memorable piece “Sunday Walk” acknowledges our longing for faith without offering a neat answer on where or how to find it. Its melancholy honesty about the desire to know something deeper stayed with me.
“Best Fall” depicts my childhood. How Mr. Collins knew the details, I don’t know.
In “The Suggestion Box”, Collins unleashes his tongue-in-cheek wit so rapidly it’s almost hard to keep up. A wonderful example of playful irony.
And then there’s “Bathtub Families”, one of the most joyful and inventive pieces in the collection. It’s a delightful celebration of the English language and its whimsical possibilities.

If I have one critique, it’s that the newer poems at the end of the collection don’t feel quite as resonant or powerful as his earlier work. They’re still good, just not as impactful to me as the selections from his earlier collections.
That said, one of the later poems, “I Love You”, stood out as deeply touching. It examines the simple phrase “I love you,” how it’s spoken, how it lands, and how it’s heard…especially by those who rarely hear it.

I know this review falls far short of analyzing what exactly makes Billy Collins’s poetry so effective. But perhaps that’s part of his genius: he writes with economy and universality, crafting poems that speak to readers on an immediate, personal level. On those counts, he succeeds mightily.
I’ve already purchased other collections of his poetry and plan to read more. My suggestion to you? Do the same.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

In turns somber and humorous, reverent and rebellious, Billy Collins' delightful collection of poems illuminates little corners of everyday life with precision, attentiveness and wit. In short, it does what great poems do best: they make us slow down and look at everything with renewed urgency and a deeper understanding.

Whether describing the daily rituals of a poet or the gradations of emotions, whether looking at divorce through the lens of kitchen utensils or the different transition terms that are best avoided in a stanza, these clever poems constantly surprised me with their keen intelligence and particular take on people and objects.

In the last lines of the superb poem "The Names", dedicated to the victims of September 11th and their survivors, Billy Collins' ability to conjure a sense of permanence out of the void is fantastic:

Names etched on the head of a pin.
One name spanning a bridge, another undergoing a tunnel.
A blue name needled into the skin.
Names of citizens, workers, mothers and fathers,
The bright-eyed daughter, the quick son.
Alphabet of names in green rows in a field.
Names in the small tracks of birds.
Names lifted from a hat
Or balanced on the tip of the tongue.
Names wheeled into the dim warehouse of memory.
So many names, there is barely room on the walls of the heart.

A collection to savor. Slowly.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

O CAMPO

Pensei em ti
quando me disseste para nunca deixar
a caixa de fósforos de madeira, daqueles de emergência,
perdida pela casa, uma vez que os ratos

podiam chegar-lhe e começar um incêndio.
Mas a tua cara estava absolutamente serena
quando enroscaste a tampa da lata redonda
onde os fósforos, como disseste, estão guardados.

Quem poderia dormir naquela noite?
Quem poderia afastar a imagem
de um desses improváveis ratos
caminhando por um cano de água fria

por trás do papel de parede às flores
a agarrar um único fósforo
entre as agulhas dos dentes?
Quem não conseguiria imaginá-lo a dobrar a esquina.

ponta azul raspando contra a madeira rugosa,
a súbita chama, e a criatura
por um claro e brilhante momento
subitamente levada adiante do seu tempo –

agora um pirómano, agora um portador da tocha
de um ritual esquecido, pequeno druida acastanhado
Iluminando uma qualquer noite antiquíssima.
Quem poderia deixar de notar,

iluminados pelo radiante isolamento,
o minúsculo ar de surpresa nas faces
dos ratos seus amigos, outrora co-habitantes
daquela que fora a tua casa de campo?

******

A ORDEM DO DIA

Uma manhã depois de uma semana de chuva,
o sol brilhou, filtrado através dos ramos,
e atingiu as janelas altas e nuas.

O gato malhado rebolava-se de costas,
e eu conseguia ouvir-te na cozinha
a moer os grãos de café até se tornarem pó.

Tudo parecia particularmente vívido
porque sabia que todos íamos morrer,
primeiro o gato, depois tu, depois eu,

e depois, um tanto mais tarde, o sol liquefeito –
era esta a ordem que imaginava.
Mas, enfim, nunca se sabe.

O gato tinha um olhar terrivelmente saudável,
o seu pêlo tão eriçado e eléctrico
que me perguntei o que lhe tinhas dado de comer ultimamente

e o que me tinhas dado de comer ultimamente
quando dobrei uma esquina
e te contemplei no terraço, agora cheio de sol,

perdida no exercício, a correr sem sair do lugar,
levantando os joelhos alto, com a pele reluzente –
e esse teu sorriso largo, de aspecto imortal.

******

LEITOR

Curioso, contemplativo, superficial, saltitante,
molhando o dedo para mudar de página, atento,
tu que agora recebes a dose diária de folhas impressas,
roedor de lápis, anotador, adepto das margens
com os teus certos e xis,
completamente virgem ou revisitando,
aplicado, apressado, estudante de letras,
rapariga sonhadora, melancólico rapaz,
companheiro invisível, ladrão, primeiro encontro, perfeito
desconhecido –

esse sou eu, correndo à janela apressado
para ver se és tu a passar sob as árvores
com um carrinho de bebé ou um cão na trela,
eu, pegando no telefone
para imaginar o teu número inimaginável,
eu, ao pé de um mapa do mundo
perguntando onde estás –
sozinho num banco de uma estação de comboios
ou quase adormecido, com o livro deslizando para o chão.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an absolute delight. Collins has such witty observations and a cool, nonchalant style. I already want to read this one again, and everything else by him too.

[Julie G · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read quite a bit of poetry, but I wasn't familiar with Billy Collins, who was our U.S. Poet Laureate for a couple of years, but clearly missed my radar.

He's good, and it looks like he's had some success selling poetry, which always makes me stand up and cheer. It isn't easy to be a poet, and I know it.

Collins is a strong imagist. This is a quick example from one of his rare short poems, Divorce:

Once, two spoons in bed,
now tined forks
across a granite table
and the knives they have hired.

He takes you there, quickly, and gives you a good sense of time and place. His poems, though, are a bit lengthy for my preference, and, even though they contain well-chosen words and poetic language, they often lack rhythmic sense and rhyme. I know many poets now have moved away from rhyme, but it can be powerful to throw in some tidbits within a poem from time to time. All free verse and feelings here, and his poems, especially the "romantic" ones often took me to the opposite place that I wanted to go. I honestly couldn't secure a solid sense of his romantic life, but maybe that was the point? It's none of my business, but I kept wondering. . . does he love his partner, or want to kill her?

I'm a girl who was heavily influenced by both EE Cummings and TS Eliot and I just gush over romanticism, fatalism and drop-dead language in poetry that slams you right in the throat or the gut. None of that happens here for me, but I did love his poems "Genius," and "Aimless Love," which is both a poem and the title of this collection. "Aimless Love" is a celebration of the daily love of the ordinary things happening around us. Yes. I feel that way, too. Thank you for this one.

Aimless Love

This morning as I walked along the lakeshore,
I fell in love with a wren
and later in the day with a mouse
the cat had dropped under the dining room table.

In the shadows of an autumn evening,
I fell for a seamstress
still at her machine in the tailor's window,
and later for a bowl of broth,
steam rising like smoke from a naval battle.

This is the best kind of love, I thought,
without recompense, without gifts,
or unkind words, without suspicion,
or silence on the telephone.

The love of the chestnut,
the jazz cap and one hand on the wheel.

No lust, no slam of the door-
the love of the miniature orange tree,
the clean white shirt, the hot evening shower,
the highway that cuts across Florida.

No waiting, no huffiness, or rancor-
just a twinge every now and then

for the wren who had built her nest
on a low branch overhanging the water
and for the dead mouse,
still dressed in its light brown suit.

But my heart is always propped up
in a field on its tripod,
ready for the next arrow.

After I carried the mouse by the tail
to a pile of leaves in the woods,
I found myself standing at the bathroom sink
gazing down affectionately at the soap,

so patient and soluble,
so at home in its pale green soap dish.
I could feel myself falling again
as I felt its turning in my wet hands
and caught the scent of lavender and stone.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read and heard about Billy Collins for some time but never actually read him until now. First, I did find myself chuckling frequently at clever phrasing and word juxtapositions, particularly in the first half to 2/3rds of the book. Collins can be very clever at creating wonderful images. Some of these images came together for me into equally effective poems but many did not...they just sat and seemed to wait for me to find more meaning in them. Or this might be an aspect of what I seek in poetry.

What did I enjoy or better, appreciate? "Country", "Absence", "Writing in the Afterlife", "No Time", "Christmas Sparrow", "Flock", "Building with Its Face Blown Off", "The First Night", and here is a section from "January in Paris" that I really enjoyed for its playfulness:


And never mind the holding and the pressing
It is enough to know that I moved my pen
in such a way as to bring her to completion,

a simple, final stanza, which ended,
as this poem will, with the image
of a gorgeous orphan lying on a rumpled bed,
her large eyes closed,
a painting of cows in a valley over her head,

and off to the side, me in a window seat
blowing smoke from a cigarette at dawn.


Another short but effective poem:


Divorce

Once, two spoons in bed,
now tined forks.

across a granite table
and the knives they have hired.


There are more but I will leave it at these. Suffice it to say there were not enough for me to rate this book more highly. I think for me the issue is one of having an edge or issue. Too often I didn't find one.

Rating 3 to 3.5

An ecopy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an unbiased review.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Billy Collins Dining Alone
by Philip Habecker

If ever I were to come across
Billy Collins dining alone,
or perhaps drinking alone after contemplating Li Po,
the gold of the moment would turn me to living straw.
An open door’s breeze dizzying me; unable to knock me over.

Were he to look up, he would find me contemplative, too.
Do I pull out Sailing
and ask for an autograph?
Aware that I may be ripping the conception of life
not just from his mind, but from the world.

“Here! Mr. Collins! -Billy!”
He sets down his chamomile.
Exasperation. Disgust? Perhaps just sadness.

We’re old friends. Intimate, even.
Just a signature, and a line or two?
Something poetic?
Something about friendship and duty;
I’d love a casual observation on a random object.
Or death. Or time.

Look! I’ve done half the work for you!

No. Perhaps I could just ask for a picture.
The smile on my face darkened
by the shadow of the barista’s tray.




*Caveat Emptor/Caveat Reader/...Caveat Listener, at least... If you get the audio-book, the cover states, "Unabridged Selections." This is true. But it does not contain the full contents of the book.

It's worth it to hear the poems read in Collins' cadence. It's also worth it to then go back and get the book and read what you've missed.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amor Universal foi um caso de paixão à primeira página...que foi crescendo até à última...
É uma poesia diferente; não se limita ao amor e à morte. Em tudo Billy Collins se inspira e cria Maravilha; até num candeeiro de mesa, num jantar de peixe…não me surpreenderia ver um poema intitulado “Uma casca de alho”…

Deixo aqui dois poemas, que constam desta colectânea; o primeiro para ler; o segundo para ouvir na bonita voz do seu autor:

1. A ASSOMBRAÇÃO

"Eu sou o cão que tu puseste a dormir,
como gostas de chamar à agulha do esquecimento,
e volto para te dizer esta coisa simples:
nunca gostei de ti - nem por um momento.

Quando lambia o teu rosto,
pensava em morder-te o nariz.
Quando via como te secavas com uma toalha,
apetecia-me saltar e castrar-te num instante.

Detestava a maneira como te movias,
a tua falta de graça animal,
a maneira como te sentavas numa cadeira para comer,
com um guardanapo no colo e a faca na mão.

Eu teria fugido,
mas era muito fraco, um truque que me ensinaste
quando estava a aprender a sentar e a deitar,
e - o maior dos insultos - a apertar a mão sem ter uma.

Admito que a visão da trela
me entusiasmava
mas apenas porque significava que estava prestes
a cheirar coisas que nunca tinhas tocado.

Podes não querer acreditar nisso,
mas não tenho nenhuma razão para mentir.
Odiava o carro, os brinquedos de borracha,
detestava os teus amigos e, pior, os teus familiares.

O tilintar da minha chapa levava-me à loucura.
Sempre me fizeste festas no sítio errado.
Tudo o que sempre quis de ti
foi comida e água fresca nas minhas tigelas de metal.

Enquanto dormias, ficava a ver-te respirar
à medida que a lua ia subindo no céu.
Foi precisa toda a minha força
para não levantar a cabeça e uivar.

Agora estou livre da coleira,
da gabardina amarela, da camisola com monograma,
do absurdo do teu relvado,
e isso é tudo que tu precisas de saber sobre este lugar

excepto o que já calculara antes
e te deixa feliz porque não aconteceu mais cedo -
que todos aqui conseguem ler e escrever
os cães em poesia, os gatos e os outros em prosa."

2. THE COUNTRY

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8xovLpi...

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a review copy of the audiobook version of this, and I'm so glad I got a chance to listen. Anyone who knows the work of Billy Collins knows that the words on the page are only half of it. Hearing or seeing him perform the poems completes the picture. I would describe his tone as half Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy, half a male version of Siri.

In a recent TED talk that Billy Collins did, he showed some of the films made of his poems, featuring his voice. One of my favorites from this book, The Country, is definitely worth seeing. I will never forget the triumphant fire-wielding mouse.

Other favorites include Litany, Adage, and Aimless Love. I have listened twice and think I'll keep going back.

Discussed on Episode 4 of the Reading Envy podcast!

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Aimless Love by Billy Collins

Collins' poems illuminate the many small mysteries, pleasures, and dilemmas of our ordinary lives, as well as our occasional magical thinking and the power with which we imbue everyday objects.

He's often at his best when describing those quotidian predicaments we find ourselves in and the silly stories we make up to help us move past those moments. One such example is the poem "Quandary" where Collins struggles over what to do with overripe apple that he really doesn't want to eat, but feels he should. Finally he decides to pitch it - "hoping to hit on the head of a murderer or one of the filthy rich out on a stroll."

Collins' poetic nature is nowhere more apparent than when he is writing about the pleasures of reading, writing, and the English language, as well as his own enjoyment and confidence in his ability to use words to describe his world. "I think that what I'm really saying is that language is better than reality" ("Bathtub Familes"). In another poem, Collins laments that "the trouble with poetry is that it encourages the writing of more poetry." That he can't help himself is evident in "Returning the Pencil to the Tray," in which Collins talks about not ever writing another poem, even as he does.

While most of Collins poems are a page or more long, I also enjoyed his shorter pieces, including his haiku-like "Divorce" -

Once, two spoons in bed,
now tined forks

across a granite table
and the knives they have hired.

Collins' poetry is both earnest and honest, without the self-importance (and often indulgences) sometimes found in other poets' works. Several poems point out his own fallacies and prejudices. His self-critique is not mean spirited, however. Rather, in "Old Man Eating Alone in a Chinese Restaurant" Collins describes his feelings of relief and gratitude for his luck in resisting the temptation of a young poet to ascribe despair and loneliness to man eating alone, now knowing for himself the pleasures of a solitary meal accompanied by a good book.

Collins' work is deceptively light, almost transparent - appearing more like an angel food cake than a chocolate torte. There is a brevity of words in his poetry - as he straddles the line between telling too much and not enough. His poems are often funny - rarely does Collins take himself too seriously, and when he does, he makes fun of this, as well.

His analogies are simple. You won't need a pick or a shovel to understand these poems. They aren't profound. I don't think that profoundness is what Collins is going for here. Rather his work reflects a simple, but certain engagement with life and its many delights and perplexities.

This is a wonderful book for someone who has read little or none of Collin's work, as it includes poems from four previous works, as well as several new poems not previously published.

I received a free copy of "Aimless Love" from Library Things Early Reviewers Program. This is no way affected my review.

[Wuttipol✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

นอกจาก Billy Collins จะรวบรวมบทกวีจากสี่เล่มก่อนหน้านี้ ก็ยังมีบทกวีชุดใหม่ด้วย เริ่มต้นด้วยบทนี้

The Sandhill Cranes of Nebraska

Too bad you weren’t here six months ago,
was a lament I heard on my visit to Nebraska.
You could have seen the astonishing spectacle
of the sandhill cranes, thousands of them
feeding and even dancing on the shores of the Platte River.

There was no point in pointing out
the impossibility of my being there then
because I happened to be somewhere else,
so I nodded and put on a look of mild disappointment
if only to be part of the commiseration.

It was the same look I remember wearing
about six months ago in Georgia
when I was told that I had just missed
the spectacular annual outburst of azaleas,
brilliant against the green backdrop of spring

and the same in Vermont six months before that
when I arrived shortly after
the magnificent foliage had gloriously peaked,
Mother Nature, as she is called,
having touched the hills with her many-colored brush,

a phenomenon that occurs, like the others,
around the same time every year when I am apparently off
in another state, stuck in a motel lobby
with the local paper and a styrofoam cup of coffee,
busily missing God knows what.

นี่คือแนวถนัดของ Collins โคลงบทนี้ดูเหมือนจะไม่มีอะไรซับซ้อนใช้ภาษาเรียบง่าย ว่าด้วยเรื่องธรรมชาติอันงามงดที่กวีไม่มีโอกาสได้ชื่นชม ไม่ว่าจะใน Nebraska หรือ Georgia หรือกระทั่ง Vermont

พอมาอ่านซ้ำจะรู้สึกว่าส่วนที่พูดถึง Nebraska จะจำง่ายกว่าส่วนที่พูดถึง Georgia หรือ Vermont เพราะมีการใช้จังหวะพยางค์ที่ชัดเจน และการผสานที่ลงตัวของสระและพยัญชนะ

โคลงบทนี้จะดูธรรมดาไปทันทีถ้าไม่มีวรรคนี้

"so I nodded and put on a look of mild disappointment"

น่าคิดว่าทำไมกวีต้องบอกว่า พยักหน้า (nodded) และ แกล้งทำเป็นผิดหวังนิด ๆ (put on a look of mild disappointment) นั่นเป็นเพราะว่ากวีไม่เพียวใคร่ครวญถึงประสบการณ์การ "สูญเสีย" หรือ "พลาด" อะไรบางอย่างในชีวิตไป แต่กวีกลับพูดถึวประสบการณ์นั้นด้วยน้ำเสียงแฝงนัยแย้งย้อนได้น่าคิดว่า เราควรจะโหยหาสิ่งที่เราสูญเสียหรือพลาดไปในอดีต หรือเลือกที่จะอยู่กับการยอมรับได้ว่าการสูญเสียหรือพลาดนั้นเป็นเรื่องธรรมดาของประสบการณ์ชีวิต

แทนที่จะมานั่งเสียใจว่าทำไมเราถึงอดดูสิ่งที่สวยงามที่คนอื่นพร่ำบอกว่าห้ามพลาด เราควรชื่นชมสิ่งที่สวยงามอยู่ตรงหน้า (เช่นการอ่านหนังสือพิมพ์กับการนั่งจิบกาแฟ) ที่เป็นสารัตถะสำคัญในชีวิตที่เรามักจะมองข้ามไปรึเปล่า

Collins ยังพูดถึงมิติของการรังสรรค์ศิลปะได้แยบคายว่าเพียงเพราะว่าศิลปินไม่ได้มีประสบการณ์ตรง ไม่ได้หมายความว่าศิลปินจะไม่สามารถสร้างศิลปะขึ้นมาได้ (กวีไม่ได้ไปดูอะไรสวย �� ใน Nebraska แต่กลับพรรณนาถึง Nebraska ได้ออกมาซะละเอียดขนาดนั้น) กวีเชื่อว่าขอเพียงศิลปินมี "จินตนาการ" เป็นจุดเริ่มต้นในการสร้างสรรค์ก็ใช้ได้แล้ว ดังนั้นจะเกิดประโยชน์อันใด หากเราเอาแต่นั่งเสียใจในสิ่งที่เราพลาดไปในชีวิต

ในโคลงอีกหลายบทในเล่มนี้ เราจะได้เห็น Collins เขียนงานที่โดดเด่นตรงที่ท้าทายสิ่งที่เราเห็น รับรู้ และเชื่อ ในชีวิตประจำวัน ด้วยการเชื้อชวนให้คนอ่านลองปรับมุมมองชีวิต แล้วจะรู้ว่า โลกไม่ได้มีทางเดินสายเดียว

[Philippe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Collins does what all poets do: banging their heads against nothingness and celebrating the ephemeral pleasures of earthly existence. But unlike some his of bardic brethren Collins never loses his composure. Angst and euphoria are sublimated in an unerring feeling for balance and a droll sense of humor. His lyric disposition is suffused with childlike wonderment, ironic self-depreciation and an old-world brand of courtesy and compassion. Many will want their poetry shot to be more edgy but I find Collins to suit many moods. And I guess I won’t be reading Rilke on my death-bed but I may ask someone to read me another Collins. This generous collection picks up where Sailing Alone Around the Room - the earlier volume of ‘new and selected poems’ (2002) - left off. Here’s just one of my favorites of the ‘new poems’ section of the book: a Sunday Walk that unfolds as a sequence of discreet and endearing modulations and dissolves in a characteristic flourish of ambiguity.

Not only colorful beds of flowers
ruffled today by a breeze of the lake
but the ruffled surface of the lake itself,
and later a boathouse and an oak tree
so old its heavy limbs rested on the ground.

And I don’t want to leave out
the uniformed campus guard I saw studying
a map of the campus without a single student in sight.

Closer to town, shops under awnings
and several churches,
one topped with a burnished cross,
another announcing a sermon:
“What You Can Take With You.”

So many odd things to see
but mostly it’s the sun at its apex
inscribing little circles,
little haloes at the top of the sky,
and the freshening breeze,
the nowhere it came from
and the nowhere it is headed,
every leaf wavering, each branch bowed,

and what can I do, I heard myself asking
with this evidence of something,
me without a candle, wafer or a rug,
not even a compass to tell me which way to face.

[Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carry

I want to carry you
and for you to carry me
the way voices are said to carry over water.

Just this morning on the shore,
I could hear two people talking quietly
in a row boat on the far side of the lake.

They were talking about fishing,
then one changed the subject,
and, I swear, they began talking about you.


Ooh what a heartwarming collection of poems on love from his various books, proving Billy Collins sure can write and write like a much-needed breeze on this hot, summer day.

Must read.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

For my second (third?) read I added a star. A lot of the poems felt like old friends and some I realized had occupied some mind space between reads.

[Ariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on: The Quirky Book Nerd

This is a very different sort of review from what I am used to writing. There is no plot to discuss, no characters to analyze—this is something much more indefinite. It is more brief and personal; a plethora of short narratives that unravel differently for each pair of eyes that fall on them. Poetry is an incredibly powerful and emotional type of writing, one that is far more open to individual interpretation than any other. Every work holds a different meaning—touches us all in a singular way—depending on who and where we are. It is challenging to evaluate something so intensely subjective, but I feel the need to recommend this particular experience.

Billy Collins has had a very long and distinguished career in writing. He served as Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003 and as Poet Laureate for the State of New York from 2004 to 2006. This particular collection is compiled of selected poems from Collins’ four most recently published books, with an additional section of his newest, previously unpublished work.

Very simply put, Billy Collins has a remarkable way with words. This was my first experience with his work, and just a few poems in, he had already secured a spot has one of my favorite poets of all time—definitely my favorite contemporary one. I am a massive fan of poetry—both reading and writing it—but I have rarely been so completely fascinated by one collection.

The great intelligence and perceptiveness in his words, as well as his unusual and highly intriguing view of the world, make for a captivating read. He has an uncanny knack for writing in a deceptively simple way. On the outside, many of his poems are seemingly very straightforward, focusing on mundane aspects of life and the world around us. However, dive into them and you will be struck with the true depth contained within the stanzas.

Collins’ writing is easily comprehensible, and the subjects he focuses on are exceedingly relatable, which opens his work up to a wide audience. Addressing all of his topics with a very wry tone, a great deal of wittiness, and an eclectic troupe of narrators, he achieves a perfect balance of both humor and earnestness. He tells stories about the smaller aspects of life—the little nooks and crannies of both the physical world and the human mind that often times go unnoticed.

What he accomplishes is a slowing in the pace of the reader’s world, followed by a gradual magnification of life on the periphery of our daily vision and the transient moments that can be lost on us completely. We are made to look at common events, issues, and emotions through an utterly unique lens. Every reader will come away from his poems with a revitalized view of their world and a deeper appreciation for that which is taken for granted or deemed inconsequential to our existence. Collins’ ability to so eloquently and successfully capture these details is astonishing.

The format of this collection makes it an absolutely wonderful introduction for those who have no prior experience with his writing. In a single book, we are given a condensed overview of over a decade of his life in poetry. Though his career is much more prolific than what can be summed up in a few hundred pages, we are able to get a taste for what it has been like—how his writing has grown and changed, and what has remained consistent throughout the years. All in all, it shows his distinctive, inspiring, and constantly engaging style.

I feel the need to point out once again that every reader’s feelings about this type of work will be incredibly unique and individual given the nature of poetry as a medium. For me personally, I truly connected with the writing and themes displayed throughout these pages. However, I believe that no matter what a reader does or doesn’t get from these poems, the extraordinary talent and mastery of language displayed by Collins is something everyone can appreciate. I cannot recommend his work—and this collection in particular—highly enough.

[Shh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: Aimless Love by Billy Collins
Five out of Five Stars
Expected publication: October 22, 2013

I was introduced to Billy Collins back in the 90s, I gobbled up The Art of Drowning, Picnic, Lightning, Sailing Alone Around the Room, Nine Horses, and The Apple That Astonished Paris, each one a treasure in its own right. Ecstatic, doesn't describe how I felt when I heard that Collins was to release a new volume of poetry, his first since 2011, because in my opinion, Billy Collins is the Pied Piper for Poetry! His work is simply amazing, and this new volume of poetry proves it. He may be in his seventies, but he hasn't lost his poetry mojo. Yes, this volume is a mix of new and previously published work, but a gem of a poem is easily devoured over and over again.

If you have always wanted to like poetry, but just never found the right poet, here is your chance to rectify all that has been missing in your quest to enter the genre of poetry. Give Aimless Love a shot and see if you haven't found just what you needed to fill your poetry gap. With poems like "Cheerios" your love of Billy Collins' poetic genius will start to grow. Lines like, "I opened the Tribune only to discover that I was the same age as Cheerios," will keep you reading to discover where Collins is headed.

I feel obligated to mention that in addition to his ten published collections of poetry, Mr. Collins was named Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 through 2003, and he served as Poet Laureate of the state of New York from 2004 through 2006. Collins is also credited with starting Poetry 180 and is currently its editor.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me access to an advance readers copy (ARC) of Aimless Love by Billy Collins.

Blog: The Things You Can Read
http://thethingsyoucanread.blogspot.com/

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

In an NPR interview, Billy Collins states:
"I'm trying to write poems that involve beginning at a known place, and ending up at a slightly different place," he says. "I'm trying to take a little journey from one place to another, and it's usually from a realistic place, to a place in the imagination."
http://www.npr.org/2011/04/06/1351815...

Collins accomplishes this handily in his newest collection. The poems in Aimless Love are collected from 4 previous books, as well as a sizeable section of new work. The new poems are actually the largest section of the book. Collins is clearly the people’s poet, in the sense that his poetry is about everyday events, images, and people. There is a fairly predictable format; Collins starts out with detailed description, and the turn usually comes in the final stanza, where he opens the seemingly ordinary scene into something deeper. His tone is light, familiar, and conversational. Collins uses clear, descriptive language. He is a master at capturing minute details. His trademark, whimsical humor, often turned gently toward himself, is evident throughout this collection.

I received this ARC as part of Goodreads First Reads program, and with it came a request not to quote, as this is an uncorrected proof. One of my favorites is a new poem titled “To My Favorite 17-Year-Old High School Girl.”

For devoted Collins fans, and readers who don’t want a poet to change his style, this book won’t disappoint. It is also a good collection for somebody who wishes to “try out” Billy Collins.

[Antonia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always so conflicted about Collins. I often like individual poems, but when I consider his body of work as a whole . . . I find it disappointing. Yes, some of his poems are amusing, or at least cute. A few even clever. Many are too fanciful to be taken seriously. Too many just fall flat. And he’s always writing (more or less) the same poem over and over. The poems feel formulaic, “humorous without actually being funny” (David Orr*) and too often self-congratulatory. As I wrote in my review of Horoscopes for the Dead, “Collins always seems to be caught up in a daydream, as if he has no particular work to do, place to go. He can idly muse about taking dead people (whose names he glimpses on headstones) for a ride on his copper-colored bicycle or make a sort of duck out of his hand and talk nonsense to it. There's no one listening, after all. Except we are. And sometimes I wish he actually had something more to say.”

See Orr’s review of Collins (not this collection) in The New York Times, January 2006.
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/01/08/boo...

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy is the best! 😭

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should start this review by saying that I have never been a fan of poetry until I started reading Billy Collins' work. Poetry always seemed so abstract and I always found myself searching for the "story" in the poem. Then I read Collins' poem, "Introduction to Poetry" and saw that I was looking at the poems all wrong. I started reading more of his work and found myself actually enjoying poetry. Needless to say, I was very happy to receive an advanced copy of this book from the First Reads program.

Aimless Love is an essential book for any Billy Collins fan. This book is an organized mix of selections from his earlier poetry collections and a large section of new material. Collins has always been known as an "accessible" poet and this collection definitely lives up to that title. Collins' poetry is very beautifully written but also easy to relate to. Some of my favorites in this collection are "Aimless Love", "Monday", "The Lanyard", and "Best Fall". These poems depict so much emotion and clear imagery that it feels as if you are reading more than a just a short poem. Although I have read the entire book, it's a great book to keep out and read through from time to time. His poems pack so much "story" into such a small amount of space that only reading a few will make you feel like you've read an entire novel. Highly recommended!

[Megan Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this book was an object lesson how much of the experience is not only the words on the page, but all that the reader to them. How much can be changed when the reader has been changed, when experience puts things into new, starker relief.

Note: The rest of this review has been withheld due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.

In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook

[Megan Yaek · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Billy Collins- ALL Billy Collins.
In our world, people have come to expect a show- a perfect and beautiful show of life. From social media to Shakespeare, we edit the pieces that just don't make sense or aren't as pretty as we'd like others to see.

Billy Collins is a punch in the face to all of that. Every moment is poetry. Writing a grocery list, staring at the dirty bathroom sink, a pencil. It's the little moments in life that may happen again, and again, and again- but that's ok! That's us. You and me. And that's beautiful.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm glad all the poems selected from previous collections were placed before the new ones, as I reacquainted myself with old friends before discovering new ones. I love Billy Collins. After I first heard him read at BYU many years ago, and then at NWP in Philadelphia a year later, I always hear his voice as I read. I adds so much. If you have not experienced that, Google one of his readings. Almost (but not quite) literally, he has a poem for everything. He is a real poet-poet.

Each time I re-read one of his collections, I come to appreciate Billy Collins even more.

[Denny · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say about Billy Collins that I haven't already said before? He is a rock star. He is the best living contemporary poet in the world. Listening to him read his poems is even better than reading them myself. No other writer can make me smile as much, laugh as hard, or cry as often as Collins does. Aimless Love is probably his best collection to date. Feel free to hop on over to my blog to see my thoughts there: https://theceaselessreaderwrites.word...

[Christine Norvell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a Collins' admirer after I read The Trouble with Poetry because I enjoyed his humor and his playfulness. I am now a Collins' devotee because I know I will frequently reread many in this collection. Simple, clever, everyday observations and sentiment trump epic attempts in my view.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF at 60%. Not a bad collection by any means, but I failed to connect with a lot of the poems I read. I think this would appeal more to American readers. I think I lack the necessary background to really appreciate these poems. Love that cover though.

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Th imagery and the humor make this collection emotionally moving and endlessly re-readable.

[Peycho Kanev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sorry, I tried, but I can not bring myself to like him. I think he's overrated.