What do you think?
Rate this book
Water, Water: Poems
In these sixty new poems, Billy Collins mixes the straightforward and the elusive to write about the beauties and ironies of everyday experience. A poem is best, he feels, when it begins in clarity and ends with a whiff of mystery. In Water, Water we learn how vigilance and a respect for the peripheral can result in moments of interest and delight. A cat leans to drink from a swimming pool; a nurse calls a name in a waiting room; an astronaut recites Emily Dickinson from outer space—such common and uncommon events are captured here with equal fascination. In a voice both conversational and melodic, hospitable and lyrical, informal but steadied by form, this poet asks us to tap the brakes and slow down so as to glimpse the elevated in the ordinary, the odd in the familiar.
133 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2024
229 people are currently reading
10393 people want to read
About the author
Billy Collins
150 books1,608 followersWilliam 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews
![Profile Image for s.penkevich [hiatus-will return-miss you all].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1735525095i%2F6431467._UX200_CR0%2C11%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 8, 2025
Through prose both charming and witty, Billy Collins has certainly established himself as a household name in poetry. Collins, now 83, has a long legacy of literary merit as a poet, a former poet laureate, and a college professor and still turns out a collection of poetry every few years. To this day he remains on my shortlist of poets I recommend patrons or customers looking for a gateway into poetry. ‘The late poems are the ones / I turn to first now, wrote poet W.S. Merwin, ‘it is the late poems / that are made of words / that have come the whole way, ’ and in his 2024 collection, Water, Water we find Collins gazing back across his life with a growing sense of estrangement from his own history as aging pulls him further from the past. Taking its title from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner
, the collection leans heavily on autobiographical reflections written in what he calls the ‘first-person-selfish point of view’ and dives into a rather tender introspection on each page adorned with his signature humor and wit. Try as I might, this collection never quite stoked the magic I found reading him a decade ago but does have its moments, to be fair. It hits a lot of the standard “old man introspection notes” which are fun and all, but nothing feels particularly unique and few lines really strike like lightning across the poetic sky. Which is okay, as it retains much of the charm that he is known for and I suspect many will still find a lot to enjoy however, for this reader, few poems really leapt off the page. Still, it is a tender meditation on life and the small moments that, when we slow down and listen, guide us to appreciate our ephemeral existence adrift on a small rock ‘ in the icy immensity of space.’
‘ Everything in this hard place
is designed to disappear.
The moon drops faster than usual
behind a lurid billboard.
A man vanishes from his place on a footbridge.
This is where I was last seen
walking to the town post office
in the shape of a white envelope
and you are forsaken on a platform,
holding an umbrella which has ceased to exist.’
—From Crying in Class
When this book first came into print, I caught a poem on the back that made me think “yes, this is the Collins I’ve wanted from his last few collections.” The problem, however, is it might be my favorite of the collection with few to match it. Give it a read:
The Monet Conundrum
Is every one of these poems
different from the others
he asked himself,
as the rain quieted down,
or are they all the same poem,
haystack after haystack
at different times of day,
different shadows and shades of hay?
As a fan of the Monet haystack series, I quite liked this as it does sort of probe at how poetry collections often all seek towards the same ideas but the ways different vantage points or moments–like the seasons or times of day in the Monet series–reveal a vast variety of ideas to consider when bathed in shadows or brought to the light. A great short poem, and one I enjoyed much more than the very brief poems of his previous collection.
Now don’t get me wrong, there was an era where I found his words a rollicking good time and even while, to this day, I continue to cite him amongst my shortlist of great poets to begin with as a gateway into poetry, with his 2024 collection Water, Water I’ve found the charm just doesn’t quite strike me like it used to. And it might just be me and I’ve moved into a preference for different styles of poems, but I also didn’t feel there was much fresh here. There were some poems however, such as Emily Dickinson in Space, that did manage to hit the witty charm that endeared me to Collins a decade ago with his reflections on hearing an astronaut read poetry in space. It does strike a sense of awe that I must admit gives me joy:
‘Imagine that, I said to myself,
looking up at the evening sky,
her little poem still circling the globe
at seventeen thousand miles an hour,
hands-down the fastest poem in history
if such records were kept,
passing over everything below
once every ninety-three minutes
including the Vatican and the Colosseum,
not to mention the leafy canopy of Amherst, Massachusetts,
and her small grave and headstone in the West Cemetery
behind an iron fence, just down an unpaved road.’
The collection does, like an astronaut, step back from life and look at it from afar to see a greater picture take shape. As he examines in Your Poem, it gives him a ‘buoyant ease in the shadow of mortality’ to think of his life in such a way. I should add though, that there is some great imagery in this at times such as the image of a ‘singular snowflake / landed without a sound / in the general darkness of Vermont,’ and it’s these small moments rescued from insignificance by their quiet beauty that he captures in order to examine how life may be fleeting and small, yet lovely all the same. Like the way a ‘Chinese bowl / is the thing here and now,’ we too are here and now and maybe that is enough. Luckily for Collins, as he mentions, he has a legacy of books that will exist after his ‘ body will be ashes,’ and asks us to look for the ways in which our own lives so we too can find that
‘your existence might continue
alphabetically
on a public shelf
or on display in a vitrine,
one visitor after another
peering down at your spectacles
or reading a letter with a misspelling
you once wrote to a gym teacher.’
It instills a sort of hope that life lives on even without us. Because what a great sorrow would we find if it didn’t. Such as in If/Then when he asks
‘ Let's just say there is no expanding universe,
no quarks and star nurseries,
no cosmic rays and dark matter,
and what if this green earth
were the only planet,
and the sky held nothing
but the sun and the moon,
shining and glowing in their turns,
and maybe only 30 or 40 stars
which you could see
from the porch on a clear night.’
Collins seems to shrink from such ideas, ones he inevitably contemplates as his life moves closer to an end. But without such a universe to hold us, what would be the point he asks? Why have nothing at all when the small beauties, albeit ephemeral, are enough to carry a life?
Sunday Drive
What if it turns out
that there is no afterlife?
That may come as a letdown to some,
but the good news is
that the believers of every religion
won't experience the least disappointment
for the simple reason
that they will be dead at that point
and incapable of experiencing anything.
Same goes for the skeptics,
agnostics, and the card-carrying atheists.
No opportunity to smirk or brag
for the same reason mentioned above.
I was thinking about this
on my drive to the beach one Sunday
when I saw a flock of well-dressed people
filing into a clapboard church
under a tall, white steeple.
I did not turn the car around,
pull up to the church door,
and deliver this news from the roof of the car.
No, I drove on with the radio up loud
and the windows down,
content to keep those tidings to myself,
a faithless congregation of one,
now driving much too fast
and just as afraid of heaven as he is of hell.’
These poems often move through memories, from moments of his personal coming-of-age narratives to reminiscing on the time his copy of Lonesome Dove was destroyed in a fire. It tends to be very introspective about his own space during these times without much reminiscing on family, something Collins has admitted in an interview with New York Times that he finds to spoil a poem:
There are a few tender moments, however, like the poem The Brooklyn Dodgers where he thinks about how during his time attending their games ‘I would open the newspaper /the next morning / to check out the box score, which, as he explains, contains the number of fans at the game. It is a rather touching reminder that he is part of something larger and so, too, are we all. In this way, when seen from space like the astronaut reading a poem, we see ourselves as connected and even if we seem insignificant, we are all in this together. I can get down with that.
⅗
‘ Plus, I love being stuck here
in the science fiction of my 21st-century life even
with all the dying around me,
the planet now barely able to spin,
and my pen slithering off into oblivion.’
‘ Everything in this hard place
is designed to disappear.
The moon drops faster than usual
behind a lurid billboard.
A man vanishes from his place on a footbridge.
This is where I was last seen
walking to the town post office
in the shape of a white envelope
and you are forsaken on a platform,
holding an umbrella which has ceased to exist.’
—From Crying in Class
When this book first came into print, I caught a poem on the back that made me think “yes, this is the Collins I’ve wanted from his last few collections.” The problem, however, is it might be my favorite of the collection with few to match it. Give it a read:
The Monet Conundrum
Is every one of these poems
different from the others
he asked himself,
as the rain quieted down,
or are they all the same poem,
haystack after haystack
at different times of day,
different shadows and shades of hay?
As a fan of the Monet haystack series, I quite liked this as it does sort of probe at how poetry collections often all seek towards the same ideas but the ways different vantage points or moments–like the seasons or times of day in the Monet series–reveal a vast variety of ideas to consider when bathed in shadows or brought to the light. A great short poem, and one I enjoyed much more than the very brief poems of his previous collection.
Now don’t get me wrong, there was an era where I found his words a rollicking good time and even while, to this day, I continue to cite him amongst my shortlist of great poets to begin with as a gateway into poetry, with his 2024 collection Water, Water I’ve found the charm just doesn’t quite strike me like it used to. And it might just be me and I’ve moved into a preference for different styles of poems, but I also didn’t feel there was much fresh here. There were some poems however, such as Emily Dickinson in Space, that did manage to hit the witty charm that endeared me to Collins a decade ago with his reflections on hearing an astronaut read poetry in space. It does strike a sense of awe that I must admit gives me joy:
‘Imagine that, I said to myself,
looking up at the evening sky,
her little poem still circling the globe
at seventeen thousand miles an hour,
hands-down the fastest poem in history
if such records were kept,
passing over everything below
once every ninety-three minutes
including the Vatican and the Colosseum,
not to mention the leafy canopy of Amherst, Massachusetts,
and her small grave and headstone in the West Cemetery
behind an iron fence, just down an unpaved road.’
The collection does, like an astronaut, step back from life and look at it from afar to see a greater picture take shape. As he examines in Your Poem, it gives him a ‘buoyant ease in the shadow of mortality’ to think of his life in such a way. I should add though, that there is some great imagery in this at times such as the image of a ‘singular snowflake / landed without a sound / in the general darkness of Vermont,’ and it’s these small moments rescued from insignificance by their quiet beauty that he captures in order to examine how life may be fleeting and small, yet lovely all the same. Like the way a ‘Chinese bowl / is the thing here and now,’ we too are here and now and maybe that is enough. Luckily for Collins, as he mentions, he has a legacy of books that will exist after his ‘ body will be ashes,’ and asks us to look for the ways in which our own lives so we too can find that
‘your existence might continue
alphabetically
on a public shelf
or on display in a vitrine,
one visitor after another
peering down at your spectacles
or reading a letter with a misspelling
you once wrote to a gym teacher.’
It instills a sort of hope that life lives on even without us. Because what a great sorrow would we find if it didn’t. Such as in If/Then when he asks
‘ Let's just say there is no expanding universe,
no quarks and star nurseries,
no cosmic rays and dark matter,
and what if this green earth
were the only planet,
and the sky held nothing
but the sun and the moon,
shining and glowing in their turns,
and maybe only 30 or 40 stars
which you could see
from the porch on a clear night.’
Collins seems to shrink from such ideas, ones he inevitably contemplates as his life moves closer to an end. But without such a universe to hold us, what would be the point he asks? Why have nothing at all when the small beauties, albeit ephemeral, are enough to carry a life?
Sunday Drive
What if it turns out
that there is no afterlife?
That may come as a letdown to some,
but the good news is
that the believers of every religion
won't experience the least disappointment
for the simple reason
that they will be dead at that point
and incapable of experiencing anything.
Same goes for the skeptics,
agnostics, and the card-carrying atheists.
No opportunity to smirk or brag
for the same reason mentioned above.
I was thinking about this
on my drive to the beach one Sunday
when I saw a flock of well-dressed people
filing into a clapboard church
under a tall, white steeple.
I did not turn the car around,
pull up to the church door,
and deliver this news from the roof of the car.
No, I drove on with the radio up loud
and the windows down,
content to keep those tidings to myself,
a faithless congregation of one,
now driving much too fast
and just as afraid of heaven as he is of hell.’
These poems often move through memories, from moments of his personal coming-of-age narratives to reminiscing on the time his copy of Lonesome Dove was destroyed in a fire. It tends to be very introspective about his own space during these times without much reminiscing on family, something Collins has admitted in an interview with New York Times that he finds to spoil a poem:
‘We all have our deal-breakers. I find that family members can burden a poem, especially if they happen to be dead. So if I come across “Dad” or “Mommy,” I’m out. “Grandma” gets a pass.’
There are a few tender moments, however, like the poem The Brooklyn Dodgers where he thinks about how during his time attending their games ‘I would open the newspaper /the next morning / to check out the box score, which, as he explains, contains the number of fans at the game. It is a rather touching reminder that he is part of something larger and so, too, are we all. In this way, when seen from space like the astronaut reading a poem, we see ourselves as connected and even if we seem insignificant, we are all in this together. I can get down with that.
⅗
‘ Plus, I love being stuck here
in the science fiction of my 21st-century life even
with all the dying around me,
the planet now barely able to spin,
and my pen slithering off into oblivion.’
May 31, 2024
For those familiar with poet Billy Collins, "Water, Water" will be like welcoming back a trusted and adored companion.
The former United States Poet Laureate, Collins is a master at writing in ways that are both universal and intimate, familiar yet mysterious. This is very much alive in "Water, Water," a collection of 60 poems focused on the joy and mystery of daily life.
While my usual poetry preferences lean toward Bukowski-esque writers (limited pool, I know), there's something about Collins I absolutely adore. It is, perhaps, his ability to begin, as he states, with clarity before moving into the more mysterious nuances of daily life. It may, perhaps, be his accessibility as a writer, as an instructor (Collins is a Distinguished Professor of English at Lehman College and is currently a member of the faculty at SUNY Stony Brook Southampton), and as a human being.
There's a joy that comes to life in Collins's writing that is absolutely compelling. He brings it further to life when one hears him teach, speak, or read his poetry.
"Water, Water" is a collection that triggered my imagination and felt like a full-on sensory experience. "Against Longing" gripped by beautiful imagery and poignant reality. "Drawing a Pineapple" made me both laugh and dream. I would dare say that "Your Poem" is touching in its simplicity and sense of calling.
There are more poems that I loved here, of course. "Reading the Guest Book," "The Monet Conundrum," "Days of Teenage Glory" and others. Piece of this collection have been published elsewhere, however, they all seem to fit together so beautifully that I found myself fully satisfied by book's end.
For Billy Collins fans, "Water, Water" is a must. For those new to Collins, "Water, Water" will be an introduction to a wonderful poet that will make you want to explore his other works.
The former United States Poet Laureate, Collins is a master at writing in ways that are both universal and intimate, familiar yet mysterious. This is very much alive in "Water, Water," a collection of 60 poems focused on the joy and mystery of daily life.
While my usual poetry preferences lean toward Bukowski-esque writers (limited pool, I know), there's something about Collins I absolutely adore. It is, perhaps, his ability to begin, as he states, with clarity before moving into the more mysterious nuances of daily life. It may, perhaps, be his accessibility as a writer, as an instructor (Collins is a Distinguished Professor of English at Lehman College and is currently a member of the faculty at SUNY Stony Brook Southampton), and as a human being.
There's a joy that comes to life in Collins's writing that is absolutely compelling. He brings it further to life when one hears him teach, speak, or read his poetry.
"Water, Water" is a collection that triggered my imagination and felt like a full-on sensory experience. "Against Longing" gripped by beautiful imagery and poignant reality. "Drawing a Pineapple" made me both laugh and dream. I would dare say that "Your Poem" is touching in its simplicity and sense of calling.
There are more poems that I loved here, of course. "Reading the Guest Book," "The Monet Conundrum," "Days of Teenage Glory" and others. Piece of this collection have been published elsewhere, however, they all seem to fit together so beautifully that I found myself fully satisfied by book's end.
For Billy Collins fans, "Water, Water" is a must. For those new to Collins, "Water, Water" will be an introduction to a wonderful poet that will make you want to explore his other works.
February 27, 2025
ARC for review. Published November 18, 2024.
Published in the “Charleston Gazette-Mail” January 18-19, 2025
WATER, WATER - Billy Collins, November 19, 2024, Random House, 98 pages.
The newest volume by the former Poet Laureate of the United Stars (2001-2003) was released a few months ago, but it’s still newish and it’s lovely and worth a look.
By the way, the current Poet Laureate? I did not know either, so I looked it up. It’s Ada Simon, appointed 2022, now in her second term, which will expire in 2035. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, so she’s a neighbor. And we’ve all learned.
Maybe some of you think that a good portion of needs to be suffering; if so Billy Collins is not for you. It’s easy to tell that Collins is content in his station in life with his wife and their world down in Florida. He’s reached a good place-and if he’s not as fiery as he might have been as a younger man, he’s now able to focus his gifts on those smaller, everyday aspects of life, things most of us might overlook, but are worth notice.
One of my favorite poems in the book is “Winter Trivia.” “Trivia,” so, clearly, something people might think is inconsequential and he begins with a factoid from THE BOOK OF LISTS, “it takes approximately two hours for a snowflake to fall from a cloud to the ground.”
“In the roughly two hours
it takes for a snowflake
to fall from a cloud to the ground,
we managed to get back to the house,
bang the snow off our boots
shake out our pants in the mud room
then stoke the stove back to life,
open a bottle of wine -
I think it was a red from Oregon -
heat the white bean soup from last night,
which we spooned up
sitting close to the splintering stove
after which we carried our bowls
to the kitchen and opened
an inlaid wooden box full of chips
and fanned out a fresh deck of playing cards,
which you shuffled and I cut
as the house was warming up,
and you tossed in a modest bet
with a red Jack showing
and I saw you with my nine
just as that singular snowflake
landed without a sound
in the general darkness of Vermont.
So lovely, the way Collins’s language puts us in the room and makes us forget the very thing we were waiting for. He’s a master at the evocative power of the mundane. We are holding the warm soup bowl and see the steam rising from it, and we hear the crackle of the fire. The alliteration of the sibilant “s” mimics the gentle swish of the snowfall outside.
There are other gems here. “When a Man Loves Something” references the majesty of the voice of singer Percy Sledge in “When a Man Loves a Woman.” If you are a young person who has never heard this song, please go check it out, I beg of you. “The Thing” has Collins reflecting on a bowl that belonged to his mother and begins with a quote that made me laugh.
All the poems are in plain English and are easily understood. If you are convinced you don’t like poetry because you were forced to memorize “Ode on a Grecian Urn” in middle school give Collins a try.
Published in the “Charleston Gazette-Mail” January 18-19, 2025
WATER, WATER - Billy Collins, November 19, 2024, Random House, 98 pages.
The newest volume by the former Poet Laureate of the United Stars (2001-2003) was released a few months ago, but it’s still newish and it’s lovely and worth a look.
By the way, the current Poet Laureate? I did not know either, so I looked it up. It’s Ada Simon, appointed 2022, now in her second term, which will expire in 2035. She lives in Lexington, Kentucky, so she’s a neighbor. And we’ve all learned.
Maybe some of you think that a good portion of needs to be suffering; if so Billy Collins is not for you. It’s easy to tell that Collins is content in his station in life with his wife and their world down in Florida. He’s reached a good place-and if he’s not as fiery as he might have been as a younger man, he’s now able to focus his gifts on those smaller, everyday aspects of life, things most of us might overlook, but are worth notice.
One of my favorite poems in the book is “Winter Trivia.” “Trivia,” so, clearly, something people might think is inconsequential and he begins with a factoid from THE BOOK OF LISTS, “it takes approximately two hours for a snowflake to fall from a cloud to the ground.”
“In the roughly two hours
it takes for a snowflake
to fall from a cloud to the ground,
we managed to get back to the house,
bang the snow off our boots
shake out our pants in the mud room
then stoke the stove back to life,
open a bottle of wine -
I think it was a red from Oregon -
heat the white bean soup from last night,
which we spooned up
sitting close to the splintering stove
after which we carried our bowls
to the kitchen and opened
an inlaid wooden box full of chips
and fanned out a fresh deck of playing cards,
which you shuffled and I cut
as the house was warming up,
and you tossed in a modest bet
with a red Jack showing
and I saw you with my nine
just as that singular snowflake
landed without a sound
in the general darkness of Vermont.
So lovely, the way Collins’s language puts us in the room and makes us forget the very thing we were waiting for. He’s a master at the evocative power of the mundane. We are holding the warm soup bowl and see the steam rising from it, and we hear the crackle of the fire. The alliteration of the sibilant “s” mimics the gentle swish of the snowfall outside.
There are other gems here. “When a Man Loves Something” references the majesty of the voice of singer Percy Sledge in “When a Man Loves a Woman.” If you are a young person who has never heard this song, please go check it out, I beg of you. “The Thing” has Collins reflecting on a bowl that belonged to his mother and begins with a quote that made me laugh.
All the poems are in plain English and are easily understood. If you are convinced you don’t like poetry because you were forced to memorize “Ode on a Grecian Urn” in middle school give Collins a try.
November 9, 2024
I felt for a while that many of Collins’ poems read almost like mini-vignettes and nowhere is it more exemplified than here in Water, Water.
My favorite poems were:
“When a Man Loves Something”
“Addressing the Heart”
“The Guardian”
“Display Case”
“Fire in the Movies”
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
My favorite poems were:
“When a Man Loves Something”
“Addressing the Heart”
“The Guardian”
“Display Case”
“Fire in the Movies”
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
January 2, 2025
I cannot think of a better way to start my reading year than with poet Billy Collins. I am already a huge fan of his work so I held this latest collection for my first read of 2025. It is filled with hope and humor and a healthy dose of introspection. Best of all, Billy Collins finds the beauty, and yes, poetry, in the everyday objects and experiences that life offers.
I kept this slim volume by my side all of New Years Day, reading and savoring a few poems at a time, smiling whenever I picked it up.I am so grateful to Mr. Collins for continuing to share his observations and talents, in writing or on Facebook where I've followed his poetry hour.
I kept this slim volume by my side all of New Years Day, reading and savoring a few poems at a time, smiling whenever I picked it up.I am so grateful to Mr. Collins for continuing to share his observations and talents, in writing or on Facebook where I've followed his poetry hour.
September 16, 2024
3.5, rounding up for general warmth of spirit. collins seems very happy these days! the poems in this book are mainly pleasant little bubbles which left my mind as soon as they popped, but looked very pretty in the meantime
January 30, 2025
It could’ve been a beautiful nonsense, yet it’s just nonsense.
November 25, 2024
It's word sorcery. I just can't even.
October 28, 2025
Deceptively easy. That is to say, each poem easy to read, until one gets to the last few lines and then gets poked to reconsider what's gone before in a new light, and to think about such things as 'what if she had lived' or 'why did he tell that secret' or whatever. Also, they seem easy to write, and perhaps in one sense they are because Collins isn't torturing them into specific classic shapes w/ all the rules... but most assuredly they take a lot longer than the equivalent number of words of narrative or non-fiction as each word & every syntactical arrangement is chosen w/ exquisite care.
They do tend to get a little repetitive because of the templated pattern. Collins understands that. Near the middle of the book (and featured on the back of dust jacket) is a shorter poem that does not fit the common form. "The Monet Conundrum" in which he references the painter's tendency towards obsession with one subject, painted in many different lights of day and season [haystacks, and water lilies]. Is/ was either artist in a rut, or can creativity flourish within bounds? Art museums pay big bucks for just one Monet, so they'd argue the latter. I do, too. I enjoy Collins' work, no matter how repetitive or easy it might seem, and have added this to my 'to re-read' shelf.
My (current) favorites are both near the end.
*Margins* imagines meeting one of the creative monks who illustrated the text that he copied out with "a monkey doing a handstand on the back of a comely mermaid" and having a drink with him at the pub.
*Autobiography* includes the lines:
"I decided to abandon the whole project/ and maybe settled for a little essay/ on the subject of the wallpaper or the taste of prunes."
Can this be read straight? Yes, certainly. Is it richer if one thinks of Yellow Wallpaper and Proust's madeleines or perhaps William Carlos Williams' plums? Also yes.
They do tend to get a little repetitive because of the templated pattern. Collins understands that. Near the middle of the book (and featured on the back of dust jacket) is a shorter poem that does not fit the common form. "The Monet Conundrum" in which he references the painter's tendency towards obsession with one subject, painted in many different lights of day and season [haystacks, and water lilies]. Is/ was either artist in a rut, or can creativity flourish within bounds? Art museums pay big bucks for just one Monet, so they'd argue the latter. I do, too. I enjoy Collins' work, no matter how repetitive or easy it might seem, and have added this to my 'to re-read' shelf.
My (current) favorites are both near the end.
*Margins* imagines meeting one of the creative monks who illustrated the text that he copied out with "a monkey doing a handstand on the back of a comely mermaid" and having a drink with him at the pub.
*Autobiography* includes the lines:
"I decided to abandon the whole project/ and maybe settled for a little essay/ on the subject of the wallpaper or the taste of prunes."
Can this be read straight? Yes, certainly. Is it richer if one thinks of Yellow Wallpaper and Proust's madeleines or perhaps William Carlos Williams' plums? Also yes.
June 26, 2024
It kind of had the opposite issue of his last collection, where it was a little long-winded. It was as if he crammed in everything that got cut out of 'Musical Tables,' so both books were off balance, instead of just one needing something more/less. I definitely enjoyed this far more than the fragmented style last used, far more depth and feeling to these poems. Billy Collins is still my favorite poet and I'm very thankful to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy! My favorite poem in the collection:
Sunday Drive
What if it turns out
that there is no afterlife.
This may come as a letdown to some,
but the good news is
that the believers of every religion
won't experience the least disappointment
for the simple reason
that they will be dead at that point
and incapable of experiencing anything.
Same goes for the skeptics,
agnostics, and the card-carrying atheists.
No opportunity to smirk or brag
for the same reason mentioned above.
I was thinking about this
on my drive to the beach one Sunday
when I saw a flock of well-dressed people
filing into a clapboard church
under a tall, white steeple.
I did not turn the car around,
pull up to the church door,
and deliver this news from the roof of the car.
No, I drove on with the radio up loud
and the windows down,
content to keep those tidings to myself,
a faithless congregation of one,
now driving much too fast
and just as afraid of heaven as he is of hell.
Sunday Drive
What if it turns out
that there is no afterlife.
This may come as a letdown to some,
but the good news is
that the believers of every religion
won't experience the least disappointment
for the simple reason
that they will be dead at that point
and incapable of experiencing anything.
Same goes for the skeptics,
agnostics, and the card-carrying atheists.
No opportunity to smirk or brag
for the same reason mentioned above.
I was thinking about this
on my drive to the beach one Sunday
when I saw a flock of well-dressed people
filing into a clapboard church
under a tall, white steeple.
I did not turn the car around,
pull up to the church door,
and deliver this news from the roof of the car.
No, I drove on with the radio up loud
and the windows down,
content to keep those tidings to myself,
a faithless congregation of one,
now driving much too fast
and just as afraid of heaven as he is of hell.
April 28, 2025
Reading these poems made me want to be a better person and husband, which is perhaps too much to ask of a book or of myself at this age, especially since I scolded my husband this morning for not helping me put the screens in the windows, but then I thought of these poems, and I apologized for scolding him, and while that is not really much in the way of growth, it was something. I bought this book on a whim on indie bookstore day. I wanted to buy something but didn't need more novels in my house. I knew nothing of Billy Collins, but I liked the cover, and the first poem referenced Vermont (a lovely state indeed). I laughed out loud multiple times while reading (who knew poetry could be so funny?), and I also felt moved nearly to tears by the poignancy of his reflections on age and marriage. I'm mailing my copy to my mother, as I know I'll never enjoy reading them as much as I did on this beautiful spring weekend. I hope she'll enjoy them, too.
August 19, 2025
These were just delightful little morsels. A lot of them just felt like little vignettes, and I forget that poetry can be like that too. Every poem doesn’t have to connect to a deeper meaning or something larger about life. It can just be about a moment in time or an observation made. Thank goodness for Billy Collins.
December 22, 2025
Best Collin’s book since Aimless Love. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
December 28, 2024
As good as ever.
December 31, 2024
Billy Collins has been a favorite contemporary poet of mine ever since coming across his work in college. I'm always picking up volumes of his that I don't yet own to add to my collection, for as much as I love my ereader, poetry is one of the genres I prefer to engage with in a physical volume.
WATER, WATER is Collins' newest collection of poetry, and he again delights me with his perspective of the world and his unique ability to describe it and surprise me with his turns. From "The Cardinal," where he articulates the way being able to share with loved ones enhances our experiences of an event, to "First Typewriter," where he speculates amusingly on the outcome that could transpire were he to mistakenly confuse his typewriter cover with his parrot cover, and the resulting consequences, Collins brings readers on a pleasing journey through his creative mind. I delighted in highlighting my copy in order to remember my favorite lines and poems. 4.5 stars
(Thank you to Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)
WATER, WATER is Collins' newest collection of poetry, and he again delights me with his perspective of the world and his unique ability to describe it and surprise me with his turns. From "The Cardinal," where he articulates the way being able to share with loved ones enhances our experiences of an event, to "First Typewriter," where he speculates amusingly on the outcome that could transpire were he to mistakenly confuse his typewriter cover with his parrot cover, and the resulting consequences, Collins brings readers on a pleasing journey through his creative mind. I delighted in highlighting my copy in order to remember my favorite lines and poems. 4.5 stars
(Thank you to Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)
September 19, 2024
As with any volume of poetry, some are better than others. With good ones and dull ones, that usually averages out to two stars for me, meaning OK. Billy Collins poetry is always a notch above. While I always appreciate his skill, not all poems resonate with me. Others do.
I particularly liked the early search for validation found in reports of Brooklyn Dodgers games. The Monet Conundrum feels like questions every artist asks themselves. Drawing a Pineapple says so much to me about my failure to really look at the things around me. Magical Realism allowed me to snicker. And Change of Heart, so poignant! Are there others? Of course. Will your favorites be different than mine? Most likely. That is the joy of a volume of poetry, the surprises that speak personally to each reader.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.
p-n, s-n, v-n, a-n
I particularly liked the early search for validation found in reports of Brooklyn Dodgers games. The Monet Conundrum feels like questions every artist asks themselves. Drawing a Pineapple says so much to me about my failure to really look at the things around me. Magical Realism allowed me to snicker. And Change of Heart, so poignant! Are there others? Of course. Will your favorites be different than mine? Most likely. That is the joy of a volume of poetry, the surprises that speak personally to each reader.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.
p-n, s-n, v-n, a-n
July 3, 2024
Had you asked me last year at this time if I read poetry, my answer would have been no. Being exposed and learning how to appreciate poetry came through a strand I tutored with Classical Conversations. I was introduced to Billy Collins’ work in another book and have continued to seek out more of him. When I saw his newest release available for request on Netgalley, I was quick to click! Many of the poems within these pages are thought provoking. I especially enjoyed “BC/AD” because I can imagine, having been with a class of teenagers, this very conversation.
Thank you to Random House through Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication is November 2024.
Thank you to Random House through Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication is November 2024.
December 3, 2024
Reading this felt a little bit like having an old man chat nonsense at you on the bus. Does some of it start like it's going to sound wise, moving and profound? Sure, but then he starts clucking like a chicken and the moment's passed.
(Yes, there are actually chicken clucks in these poems).
Observational, pondering, aimless-feeling poems that really didn't strike me in any particular way except for how I wasn't really enjoying the company and was ready to move seats and be away with it.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.
(Yes, there are actually chicken clucks in these poems).
Observational, pondering, aimless-feeling poems that really didn't strike me in any particular way except for how I wasn't really enjoying the company and was ready to move seats and be away with it.
My thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.
July 19, 2024
“Plus, I love being stuck here
In the science fiction of my 21st-century life
Even with all the dying around me.
The planet now barely able to spin
And my pen slithering off into oblivion.”
So many of these poems hit me in just the right way, which is the best kind of poetry collection. I can’t wait to pick up his other works.
In the science fiction of my 21st-century life
Even with all the dying around me.
The planet now barely able to spin
And my pen slithering off into oblivion.”
So many of these poems hit me in just the right way, which is the best kind of poetry collection. I can’t wait to pick up his other works.
January 19, 2025
The thing about Billy Collin’s is that he has some genuinely funny and surprising and delightful poems, that are poems. But finding them in a book of his is like finding a needle in a haystack (the hay being a bunch of prose with arbitrary line breaks, making banal observations and trying hard to be clever)
September 1, 2025
I continue to dip into poetry in my quest to enlarge my ordinary daily reading time . Mr Collins writes of mundane moments made memorable, gazing at an unfamiliar starry sky, being part of a crowd in the stands at a baseball game,observing the fall of hibiscus blooms into the pool,reflecting on the state of being as time glides by. These poems felt natural as a passing comment to another, at once clear about the subject and open in interpretation. So welcoming to be invited to see what Mr Collins reflects upon!
August 3, 2024
My sudden determination to read more poetry collided with the opportunity to review “Water, Water”, and that was my introduction to Billy Collins; I wish I had known his work sooner.
This collection of poetry is an examination of daily life. It doesn’t take some common mundane event and turn it fantastical, vulgar, dangerous, saccharine, or any other kind of nonsense. It just is what it is - appreciation for small moments, taking care to turn them over a few times without full clinical (or worse, literary) dissection. Though poetry concerning identity, politics, psychology, and unrequited love is incredibly important, I found myself longing for more of exactly this - knowing that someone stood on a lakebed and thought about it for a while, or they ate fish and had a glass of white wine with it, or they have an interpretation of baseball statistics and attendance that I hadn’t considered before. I love the way Collins knows his own world.
One complaint I have with poetry is that, occasionally, it is so steeped in ambiguous form, vague language, and deeply encoded knowledge that I feel more a victim to it than a reader. Collins’ poetry in “Water, Water” sheds that pomp; the voice he uses is approachable, warm, thoughtful, with no intent to brag about how much he knows or how wise he is. I got the impression that he may have wanted to teach the reader how to find “more” in their own mundane lives. I certainly found myself wanting to.
I look forward to reading more of Collins’ work, and soon.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley ARC for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this collection.
This collection of poetry is an examination of daily life. It doesn’t take some common mundane event and turn it fantastical, vulgar, dangerous, saccharine, or any other kind of nonsense. It just is what it is - appreciation for small moments, taking care to turn them over a few times without full clinical (or worse, literary) dissection. Though poetry concerning identity, politics, psychology, and unrequited love is incredibly important, I found myself longing for more of exactly this - knowing that someone stood on a lakebed and thought about it for a while, or they ate fish and had a glass of white wine with it, or they have an interpretation of baseball statistics and attendance that I hadn’t considered before. I love the way Collins knows his own world.
One complaint I have with poetry is that, occasionally, it is so steeped in ambiguous form, vague language, and deeply encoded knowledge that I feel more a victim to it than a reader. Collins’ poetry in “Water, Water” sheds that pomp; the voice he uses is approachable, warm, thoughtful, with no intent to brag about how much he knows or how wise he is. I got the impression that he may have wanted to teach the reader how to find “more” in their own mundane lives. I certainly found myself wanting to.
I look forward to reading more of Collins’ work, and soon.
Thank you Random House and NetGalley ARC for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this collection.
September 15, 2024
I was going to say that Water, Water is Billy Collins' best poetry collection to date, but I don't know if I've actually read any of his other books. I've certainly read other poems of his, and these rank right up there with the best of them. In this book of 60 new poems, I found only four or so that didn't speak to me. The author can write about Elsie the Cow, wondering who wove the daisy garland around her neck, figuring it was probably a little girl, and where she is now. One that I liked the most was about spying a cardinal and its mate and vowing not to tell his wife about them. "Indeed, I would take the two cardinals to my grave." I'll let you read this book of accessible poetry yourself to find out all that Collins told his wife (or not), in addition to the many other relatable poems in this collection full of beauty, humor, and satisfaction.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on November 19, 2024.
Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on November 19, 2024.
August 9, 2024
This book just grew and grew on me as I read it. There is something conversational about these poems, and something so fresh, open, and spacious about them. You feel like you will step away from the book and see the world with more clarity.
“Emily Dickinson in Space” (while the title sounds gimmicky) is one of the loveliest.
The title poem “Water, water” lives up to being the title. Its final line: “and just enough water to fill the lake exactly to the brim.”
And “Thought a Rarity on Paper” is beautiful.
In one of the final poems, “Your Poem,” he includes the line “buoyant ease in the shadow of mortality,” which struck me as a perfect description of the overall feeling of this collection. This is the first Billy Collins book I have read, and I would definitely pick up another one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of the book in exchange for a review
“Emily Dickinson in Space” (while the title sounds gimmicky) is one of the loveliest.
The title poem “Water, water” lives up to being the title. Its final line: “and just enough water to fill the lake exactly to the brim.”
And “Thought a Rarity on Paper” is beautiful.
In one of the final poems, “Your Poem,” he includes the line “buoyant ease in the shadow of mortality,” which struck me as a perfect description of the overall feeling of this collection. This is the first Billy Collins book I have read, and I would definitely pick up another one.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of the book in exchange for a review
January 10, 2025
Longfellow, Mr. Collins is decidedly not, but some of his poems were delightful:
"Adam Names the Fish"
Exhausted,
after coming up with a giraffe,
buffalo, and butterfly,
then ocelot and kangaroo
he begs the sky for a breather.
But there is nothing
but the silence
of the low clouds,
then a trace of wind,
the tweet of a wren,
the moo of a cow;
two of the many
he is most proud of
for their simplicity,
and the hint of onomatopoeia.
Cow. Wren.
He likes snake and canary, too.
But the silence says
he has more work to do.
S0, with nary an Eve to impress,
he takes the deepest breath
known to man,
and, holding it, dives in.
"Adam Names the Fish"
Exhausted,
after coming up with a giraffe,
buffalo, and butterfly,
then ocelot and kangaroo
he begs the sky for a breather.
But there is nothing
but the silence
of the low clouds,
then a trace of wind,
the tweet of a wren,
the moo of a cow;
two of the many
he is most proud of
for their simplicity,
and the hint of onomatopoeia.
Cow. Wren.
He likes snake and canary, too.
But the silence says
he has more work to do.
S0, with nary an Eve to impress,
he takes the deepest breath
known to man,
and, holding it, dives in.
January 21, 2025
Libby Audio Loan 2 hours Read by Billy Collins (5)
Sixty poems written by Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of America 2001-2003. Nothing too serious, all enjoyable.
Special favorites:
"Emily Dickens in Space" poem read by an astronaut to students in Rome.
"Breakfast" thoughts about Elsie the cow on the milk carton.
"Reading the Guest Book" from simple signatures to piled up superlatives.
"The Brooklyn Dodgers" about the significance of the last digit in a number (individual)
Do yourself a favor, and find Collins reading some of his poems on YouTube. 83 years old and still going!
There are limited audio books in our rural county library, so I usually wait months for a book on hold. However, we can claim one good book of poems.
Sixty poems written by Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of America 2001-2003. Nothing too serious, all enjoyable.
Special favorites:
"Emily Dickens in Space" poem read by an astronaut to students in Rome.
"Breakfast" thoughts about Elsie the cow on the milk carton.
"Reading the Guest Book" from simple signatures to piled up superlatives.
"The Brooklyn Dodgers" about the significance of the last digit in a number (individual)
Do yourself a favor, and find Collins reading some of his poems on YouTube. 83 years old and still going!
There are limited audio books in our rural county library, so I usually wait months for a book on hold. However, we can claim one good book of poems.
June 30, 2024
Billy Collins has become one of my favorite poets over the last few years. He has a way of approaching poetry so simply and relatability. It's easy to understand and you don't have to struggle through complicated words or overly lyrical thoughts. It's like he is the one writing in all of our journals. Writing about what we think and what we see in everyday life. It just makes his poetry enjoyable.
Thank you Netgalley for this advanced e-book copy of "Water, Water" by Billy Collins.
Thank you Netgalley for this advanced e-book copy of "Water, Water" by Billy Collins.
May 30, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley for another ARC! My parents introduced me to Billy Collins sometime ago, and while I found him funny and endearing, I didn't, at the time, get what the fuss was about. Now I'm a little older, the world is a little scarier, and Billy Collins' new collection of poetry hits MUCH harder. Whimsical, lovely, relatable. A great read, just what Doctor Jesus ordered.
February 11, 2025
3.5/5
Simple, moving, and accessible.
This is my first collection by Billy Collins and I did quite enjoy it. He has a very casual style and format, nothing fancy or stylistic or absurd. He shines the light on simple things and moments from his past.
My favourites were: Addressing the Heart, The Guardian, Display Case, The Cardinal, Crying in Class, New Zealand, Incipit, Against Longing, and A Change of Heart.
Which only equals 15% (9/60). I'm rounding it up because this was a very accessible collection. There wasn't long ones that went on for pages, or walls of text, or bizarre formatting across the page. The language was simple and clear, it wasn't trying to be extra. In all these simple ways of being, this poetry collection is perfect for someone wanting to start reading poetry.
I'm glad I found this at my local library. I'll happily read more of his work seeing as I'll find some gems within. Check your local library and request a copy!
Simple, moving, and accessible.
This is my first collection by Billy Collins and I did quite enjoy it. He has a very casual style and format, nothing fancy or stylistic or absurd. He shines the light on simple things and moments from his past.
My favourites were: Addressing the Heart, The Guardian, Display Case, The Cardinal, Crying in Class, New Zealand, Incipit, Against Longing, and A Change of Heart.
Which only equals 15% (9/60). I'm rounding it up because this was a very accessible collection. There wasn't long ones that went on for pages, or walls of text, or bizarre formatting across the page. The language was simple and clear, it wasn't trying to be extra. In all these simple ways of being, this poetry collection is perfect for someone wanting to start reading poetry.
I'm glad I found this at my local library. I'll happily read more of his work seeing as I'll find some gems within. Check your local library and request a copy!
January 13, 2025
I like poetry, and I liked most of the poetry in this book! But there were a lot of references to things I just didn’t understand, so there was a disconnect for me. My favorite poems were the ones that I could plop myself into. Not the pretentious ones that mention Adam and Eve 5 times. But I’m also not an English major!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 348 reviews