Book

Rekdal, Paisley.

A crash of rhinos / Paisley Rekdal.

Athens : University of Georgia Press, ©2000.

66 pages ; 22 cm

In these quizzically probing and provocative poems, atoms and torture, tattoos and laundromats, mug shots, the theory of light, and such personalities as Joe Louis and Bruce Lee join in shaping a simultaneously personal and historical narrative of love, family, and desire. The tension between the public and the private saturates these poems with a breathless energy that carries the reader through Rekdal's self-aware depiction of American culture and romance, complete with Harlequin romance novels and an account of her parents' courtship. Though Rekdal delights in turning traditional images of love upside down, what she finally offers is a grateful and graceful view of humanity, which convinces us that, as she says in "Convocation": "Nothing is a single moment ... / No private event lacks history."

The contemporary poetry series

Contemporary poetry series (University of Georgia Press)

Poetry.

A crash of rhinos -- The history of the slow dance -- The structure of Pluto -- Rogue's gallery -- Bodice ripper: romance with subtext -- Crescent down works factory -- The night my mother meets Bruce Lee -- You're sick, jesse . . .sick, sick, sick -- Captin Cook in Tahiti discovers tattooing: an event that has subtle but important consequences for my parents and myself -- On getting a dog and being told that what I really want is a child -- Night sweeper -- Drink me -- Joe Louis and the war effort, or how my grandfather acquired the laundromat -- Other people's success -- Convocation -- Fire -- Making out in Korean.

00044730

0820322733

9780820322735

0820322733

9780820322735

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