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Night of a Thousand Blossoms
In these poems, the poet restlessly inhabits the night, finding it terrifying and beautiful, searching for meaning in the yard, the neighborhood, the heavens and every wise book he owns. These urban pastoral meditations employ ritual and repetition to create a kind of mantra, seeking surrender to that state of meditation leading to enlightenment—yet arguing with the idea of surrendering any attachments at all to this world we’ve been given to learn and love: a city garden cohabitated by ancient Romans and tattooed kids, automobiles and hollyhock, maurauding cats and the Buddha. “I should be satisfied with the household gods,” he mourns, but is satisfied with nothing, determined to fit the whole world into his poems lest the one essential thing slip by.
From “The One God is Mysterious”
The king and his queen are feasting. .
They recline, sumptuously, on long divans.
and are attended by naked servants. They.
can have anything they want, this much is.
clear, and I believe they have been having.
sex with one another and with the servants.
Why wouldn’t they? Who among the servants. .
would not be honored to help? And it’s Babylon.
after all, and doesn’t Babylon exist in your.
memory? Isn’t Babylon the clear rumbling.
of your heart at ease with its every craving—.
not the way it is now, fenced off with spiked wire.
and old pipes, with signs telling the pedestrians.
to beware: the litter, the old cans rusting. No, .
this is my own memory of excess and extravagance, .
of abandonment to the weight of everything.
that pulls me down to ruin, those same ticks.
and voices that lift me up and fill me with breath.
“Frank Gaspar’s poems are agile and forceful, their narratives clear and absorbing. In them, he is speaking to the reader—but also to himself, or perhaps to some hazy divinity or to the blue sky. I felt in his voice no attempt to persuade me of anything. I felt only the abiding imperative to get it right. Which is, of course, what real writing is all about.”—Mary Oliver
From “The One God is Mysterious”
The king and his queen are feasting. .
They recline, sumptuously, on long divans.
and are attended by naked servants. They.
can have anything they want, this much is.
clear, and I believe they have been having.
sex with one another and with the servants.
Why wouldn’t they? Who among the servants. .
would not be honored to help? And it’s Babylon.
after all, and doesn’t Babylon exist in your.
memory? Isn’t Babylon the clear rumbling.
of your heart at ease with its every craving—.
not the way it is now, fenced off with spiked wire.
and old pipes, with signs telling the pedestrians.
to beware: the litter, the old cans rusting. No, .
this is my own memory of excess and extravagance, .
of abandonment to the weight of everything.
that pulls me down to ruin, those same ticks.
and voices that lift me up and fill me with breath.
“Frank Gaspar’s poems are agile and forceful, their narratives clear and absorbing. In them, he is speaking to the reader—but also to himself, or perhaps to some hazy divinity or to the blue sky. I felt in his voice no attempt to persuade me of anything. I felt only the abiding imperative to get it right. Which is, of course, what real writing is all about.”—Mary Oliver
- GenresPoetry
63 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 17, 2020
I definitely hope to find a copy of this book soon. These meditative, beautiful almost Whitman -like poems make one reflect on the moment. It is a chefs kiss to small moments and a hug to the big picture of life. I want to own this physical book so I can spend more time to reflect over the meanings an to share the poems to those I trust to borrow them.
May 29, 2021
Gaspar's writing is beautiful and lush, bringing up nostalgia for something that feels so very universal as he writes about staying up late into the night and simply living. Enjoyed most of the poems but a few truly spoke to me!
January 23, 2016
I would have liked to have rated this book higher, because I find the poems so linguistically rich. For some of the poems I could very much relate to the message, while others left me cold. Still, a worthy collection.
February 22, 2008
One of my favorite poets...I'm always turning to this one.
November 18, 2008
I find myself coming back to these poems often. I don't have the words to describe how these poems move me. They are beautiful.
October 14, 2012
I love Frank X. Gaspar's poems!
June 19, 2015
Prose poems by a professor who was formative in my education.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews