Picasso's Tears

by Wong May

praise for Picasso’s Tears

Written over the past 35 years, Picasso’s Tears is an epic account of Wong May’s incisive, empathic, and visionary engagement with our strange and violent world. Politically inflamed and intensely personal, this fourth book of poems by Wong May marks the long-awaited re-emergence of a major, miraculous voice.

… a strangely perceptive woman, in all senses.

–Robert Creeley

… unaffectedly well-informed, capacious, and unpredictable in her concerns and procedures.

–CD Wright

Picasso’s Tears includes an Afterword by Wong May. For a pdf copy for review, please email the editors.

Genres: Poetry

323 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2014

About the author

Wong May is a poet who grew up in Singapore, studied and worked in the United States, and now lives in Ireland. She was born in Chongqing, China in 1944 and moved to Singapore with her mother in 1950. Her mother, Wang Mei-Chuang, was a classical Chinese poet who taught history and Chinese literature. Wong May received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature, from the University of Singapore in 1965. In 1966 she went to the Iowa Writers' Workshop where she received her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Iowa in 1968.

A first book of poetry, A Bad Girl's Book of Animals, was published by Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich in 1969.

While at MacDowell Colony in 1969, Wong May met Hilda Morley. Stylistically their poetry is closely associated.

Wong May's next book, Reports, published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, came out in 1972. Her Wannsee Poems, written during a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) fellowship in Berlin, were translated as Wannsee Gedichte by Nicolas Born.

In 1973, Wong May married Michael Coey, Professor of Physics at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland. They have two sons.

In 1978 she published a collection of poetry called Superstitions.

In 2014 "Picasso's Tears", her fourth book of poems including work from 1978-2013, was published by Octopus Books.

Wong May lives in Dublin, where she writes poetry and paints.

Reviews

[Taylor Napolsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the poems are excellent, but altogether feels a bit uneven. I'm glad I read it though. The interview at the end is terrific.

[Andrew · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is such a scam! How outrageous. I signed up for this thinking that it was free for atleat some books, only to find that even after making an account i must still pay to even look at the book. Time is money and i will be contacting my attorny about this! how despicable! do not fall for the scam! China i s stealing of data

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love her voice and the interview at the end is superb. Some really nice gems within this extensive collection. She is so playful with last lines.

[Jillian Noble]

*i only read ~200 pages of this for class*

[H]

"The negative of some photograph/ The flowers each in a different shade of dark--/ He believes in them" (15)

"the earth's last cafe" (27)

"Under the chin, a non-color/ dew-ridden/ Awesome in the pale field" (37)

"a mouthful of metal jewelry/ cornflower eyes/ full smile mid-Atlantic/ a clock absolutely ticks" (65)

"We chatted in the linen department./ My friend never looked more beautiful that day" (67)

"The bottom, / the transparent garden" (69)

"Like cornflakes, like traffic/ the sons, the daughters" (77)

"When in Spring/The trees/ grow vague/ With blossoms/ the vague pink/ I don't seek/ To know/ What trees/ They are" (109)

"Every angel drills me/ Your river dredges/ There is an awful lot of black & gold here/ I pulled away" (131)

"My migrant,/ errant friend/ I wish you all the grains/ Whatever you had set out for, &/ Always/ Sands enough to take you" (135)

"The living were tomatoes,/ & the dead too" (160)

"But darkness is much/ the same as light./ Which sent me out, thrilled/ Into the night" (167)

"& you needn't even be brave/ To stay in this world/ We do what we can./ To quit the corporate body/ To stay,/ still falling/ It sometimes resembles a dance" (200)

"2 cigarettes/ 2 pink lights semaphoring/ Incandescent at both ends?" (201)

"Now decide what you're going to say/ No I say the world decides" (202)

"Our imperfect knowledge of the world... Knowing is nothing/ Nothing but a noise/ Cicadas have my envy/ Cicadas the most felicitous" (207)

"never stopping for an answer/ The alarming world" (209)

"America your runners are shot in the foot/ Your oracle/ Shot in the throat" (223)

"To Picasso I say/ I have nothing to add to your poster" (226)

"Where does this lady belong/ To whom no tears have been assigned" (229)

"When we ask for transparency/ From History/ Are we not children, ruinously/ asking for tears?" (241)

"Used/ UnUsable Tears/ Sea-gulls shit white, snail's trail nacreous/ Guantanamous/ UnAmerican" (247)

"You have grown old with America, & colder" (258)

"Blur/ Of that barely human green/ On your private island" (262)

"The Park is what we have in common" (268)

"It is what makes "Guernica" terrifying/ To behold/ Picasso knows. For terror/ He makes women/ Mothers" (269)

"A pietá gone terribly wrong" (271)

"Yes, what one writes does place one on the spot"

[John Blee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read Wong May's poetry for forty years.
There was an extraordinary silence in what was published lasting from 1978 until now. The poems published in this book are from 1978 through 2013.
"Picasso's Tears" is a rich and varied feast showing an important poet at her best.
Wong May's poems are strong and expressive with a playfulness that is totally serious.
Deeply rewarding.