Orbital Paths

ISBN: 1940419085

Author: Meyer, Richard

Condition: New

Silver Medal Winner, 2016 Independent Book Publishers Association Benjamin Franklin AwardsWinner of the 2012 Robert Frost Farm Prize and the 2014 String Poet PrizeIn the lyrical tradition of Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson, the finely crafted poems in Richard Meyers 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 WaysRichard Meyers poems are a delight to read. Their rich language and metrical music draw us in[T]he poets 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 AirThis 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 reviewWitty, lightly philosophical, sonically pleasurable, Richard Meyers poems will bring special joy to those with a taste for traditional verse. -David M. Katz, author of Stanzas on OzPoems from the collection: Blind Date{after Shakespeare}Shall I compare thee to a summers day?Mosquitoes. Rain. Vacation without pay.October ClosingThe red and yellow tents come down,the trapeze sky turns gray,a lagging harlequin in brownlooks back and walks away.CommunionThe moons a sacramental host,night air the eucharistic winefor those who cant give up the ghostof finding love incarnadine.I take the moonlight on my tongueand drink the linden-blossomed air,remembering when I was youngand mouthed the same unanswered prayer.