Orbital Paths

by Richard Meyer

Winner of the 2012 Robert Frost Farm Prize and the 2014 String Poet Prize

In the lyrical tradition of Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson, the finely crafted poems in Richard Meyer’s debut collection Orbital Paths are brimming with wisdom and wit. Accessible and begging to be read out loud, these poems travel from the depths of outer space to the backyards and back roads of Minnesota with mature (and often playful) insights into nature, relationships, religion, sex, death, mythology, and more.


“Meyer is a siren. Just try to put this collection down.” –Nicole Helget, author of Wonder at the Edge of the World, Stillwater, and The Summer of Ordinary Ways

“Richard Meyer’s poems are a delight to read. Their rich language and metrical music draw us in…[T]he poet’s eye moves easily from wash hanging on the clothesline to meteors screaming through space. Anchoring it all is a cosmic sense of humor. The effect is enchanting.” –John Thavis, author of the New York Times bestseller The Vatican Diaries

“[These] companionable poems begin in wisdom and end in delight.” –David Yezzi, author of Birds of the Air

“This is a seasoned debut collection that smoothly melds science, religion, and nature with wit and protean intelligence to achieve original insights and cosmic fun.” –Alexander Pepple, Editor, Able Muse poetry review

“Witty, lightly philosophical, sonically pleasurable, Richard Meyer’s poems will bring special joy to those with a taste for traditional verse.” –David M. Katz, author of Stanzas on Oz

Genres: Poetry

178 pages, Paperback

First published August 31, 2015

About the author

Poet & Author of Orbital Paths

Although he has written poetry for most of his adult life, Richard Meyer didn’t begin sending his work out for publication until after concluding a thirty-two-year career as a teacher of high school English and humanities. In addition to his poems appearing in a variety of print and online journals, Meyer was awarded the 2012 Robert Frost Farm Prize for his poem “Fieldstone” and was the recipient of the 2014 String Poet Prize for his poem “The Autumn Way.” His poetry has also received top honors in the Great River Shakespeare Festival sonnet contest.

As a result of the recognition he’s received in recent years, Meyer may be identified in some literary circles as a significant emerging poet. Given his age, Richard says he is “delighted to have emerged before being interred.”

Richard lives in his family home, the house his father built, in Mankato, a city at the bend of the Minnesota River. Born in 1951, he is the third of eight children of Andy and Gertrude (Klugherz) Meyer.

Orbital Paths is Richard Meyer’s first book of collected poems.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful poetry collection spanning a variety of topics, including the mysteries of the universe, the changing of the seasons, artwork (some of the paintings which I've viewed in person, making the poetry all the more vivid), religion (including a visceral and disturbing poem called 'Altar Call'), evolution, and death. Even a poem on my favorite villain, Loki, which I particularly enjoyed!:
"gorgeous incubus of dreams,
soul of ice and heart of fire,
darling villain--my desire!"

I'm not often a poetry reader, but I'm happy I checked this collection out. Something to appeal to everyone.

[Tessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
I've been looking for a few years for a poet that I like that is still alive.

I found one. And he lives practically in my backyard.

I can understand why Richard Meyer won a Robert Frost award. Although he has a style all his own, I can certainly see Frost's influence particularly in his nature poems. His poetry is unbelievable beautiful. He crosses a spectrum of different styles and he handles all of them wonderfully.

Look:

"April is a foolish farmer
to think that he can sow
a second crop of winter
by casting seeds of snow."

I started marking all the poems I really liked, and then I gave that up and marked just the ones I might want to memorize and I still ended up with eleven little sticky notes.

4.5 stars instead of the full 5 because a. he has a few poems about things that I don't care to read about (sex) and b. because he has a skepticism about religion that isn't entirely enjoyable to me. Happily, these two slim negatives only mar a handful of the poems in this book.

Now, read this and try to tell me that you don't love it:

"To parse a paragraph of woods
or diagram the hills
demands a grammar of the wise
beyond my simple skills.

In town I'm competent and cool
reciting rules of thumb--
but stand abashed in nature's school
illiterate--and dumb."

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should start this by saying that I am not a regular reader of poetry. This book just sounded like something that might interest me and I was correct in my assumption. The book touches on various subjects, some requiring more depth than others. I found the poems to be accessible. Many of the poems ignite imagination and flashed pictures in my mind. I love the cover of the book for display purposes. The book is also great if you just want to flip through and find a poem, or look at the titles and choose one that sounds interesting. I very much enjoyed the book and it is definitely a keeper to revisit from time to time. A short but great example is October Closing
The red and yellow tents come down
the trapeze sky turns gray,
a lagging harlequin in brown
looks back and walks away.
The book's inspirations vary. The author's inspirations include seasons, scripture, quotes, nature and everyday life. It seems like it would have a little something for everyone in a way.

[Betsy Lasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is clear to see why Mr. Meyer has won national recognition for his poetry. I am a former English teacher, and my students always loved poetry and opportunities to write it. I often found modern poetry to be very erudite and inaccessible to students. It seemed that too many modern writers were more concerned with displaying their own intelligence than with connecting to universal themes. Poetry is the genre of the people. It is probably our first form of literature. It's in our DNA. Meyer tunes into the experiences, struggles, emotions, etc. that we all share. Anyone can read theses poems and find some emotion or idea to explore. Don't get the impression, however, that these are simplistic efforts. The poems are exceptionally crafted and offer many levels of understanding for those with a varied literary background. This is a book to come back to often.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, this was written by former NUHS English teacher, Richard Meyer. Approachable poetry that deepens each time it is re-read.