The language of love can be beautiful or bawdy, naively simple or boldly salacious, elegantly baroque or course and common梠r, in certain moments, a wild mixture of all of these. Louis Untermeyer has gathered the world抯 greatest erotica in verse, ranging from the Bible to the present day. The most renowned poets of all time are represented in this fresh collection where freedom of range is matched by an equal freedom of speech in writing about sexual love. From Ovid to Swinburne, from Chaucer to E.E. Cummings, from Queen Elizabeth to Emily Dickinson, the poetry burns with mounting emotion and smolders with importunate pleadings, aggravating delays, passionate fulfillment or, alas, painful frustration. Here are the unexplored extremes encompassed by well-loved poets, the outspoken sensuality in the union of love and lust, and the earthy celebration of carnal pleasure. Here in more than six hundred poems, are the infinite variations in the traditional battle of the sexes: the gallant approach, the tentative flirtation, the provocative badinage, the coy denial, the gradually permitted intimacy, the timid or breathless consent, and the finally shared extremity of passion.

Therapists, like moms, only mean to help. Or do they? Readers can judge for themselves with Hal Sirowitz's second collection of funny and razor-sharp poems about Hal's search for love, understanding, and a little past-life regression. Hal's first collection, is called "Mother Said". 144 pp. Author tour. National publicity. 20,000 print.

2013 marks Dannie Abse's 90th birthday. In his lifetime he has published an astonishing array of work including poetry, fiction, criticism, plays and autobiography but it is as a poet that he is best known and loved. In Speak, Old Parrot he returns to themes of loss, love, medicine and its moral implications, the nature of creativity, Jewish folk tradition and the passing of time. The poems are observant of the outside world as well as the inner life and emotions but most of all they are a joy to read.

"Here is the doorway to Kabbalah for readers at all levels of experience: these aphoristic gleanings of ancient and mystical philosophy - written in the form of haiku by award-winning novelist Richard Zimler - capture the heart of the tradition in ways that are personally awakening"--

A collection rich with culture, memories, humor and spice. Both sexy and powerful, these poems are touchstones to the vital transitions and experiences in a womans life.

Before Guy Gavriel Kay became known for his groundbreaking works of speculative fiction, establishing himself as one of the world's most respected writers in that genre, he was an accomplished poet, his work appearing in major literary journals such as The Antigonish Review and Prism . Through the years, while writing his dramatic international bestsellers, Kay has continued to quietly explore the paths and boundaries of poetry as well. Now for the first time, Guy Gavriel Kay's poetry has been gathered and selected for publication. For those familiar with his fiction, the poems in Beyond This Dark House will resonate for their linguistic and emotional nuances and their mythological allusions, echoing and illuminating themes of his fiction. But readers of contemporary poetry will also be captivated by the exquisite craft and power of these poems. Some are ironic and austere, slyly tracing the interplay of writer and world, present and past; others are sensual, even erotic, charting the mercurial but abiding nature of passion-in love, in language, in history.

Internationally renowned author Jane Yolen has composed a sequence of tough, angry, and moving love poems that express grief and gratitude for her late husband David, as witness to his treatment for and passing from cancer, and the ongoing loss that is felt years after his death. In one poem, Yolen--a prize-winning poet, speaks of his "shallow bird breath/beating beneath the cage of his chest bones." In another: "Do not help me to forget./Help me to remember." And in a third: You have gone before me into winter, Into spring, into summer, somehow A consummate time traveler I can never catch up to, Always a season ahead. Jane Yolen , often called "the Hans Christian Andersen of America," is the author of over three hundred books, including Owl Moon , The Devil's Arithmetic , and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight . The books range from rhymed picture books and baby board books through middle grade fiction, poetry collections, nonfiction, novels, and story collections for young adults and adults, and two books of adult poetry. Her books and stories have won two Nebula Awards, a World Fantasy Award, a Caldecott Medal, the Golden Kite Award, three Mythopoeic awards, two Christopher Medals, a nomination for the National Book Award, and the Jewish Book Award. She is also the winner (for body of work) of the Kerlan Award, the World Fantasy Association Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Catholic Library's Regina Medal.

The Zen of La Llorona is a second collection of poetry by a Native American woman, and as such, it goes beyond initial concerns with personal racial identity. While still very much speaking from an indigenous point of view, The Zen of La Llorona complicates that indigenous identity with visceral explorations of gendered violence, sexual orientation and mothering in an unpredictable, chaotic world. Key to these poems are historical and current events: traumas as distant as the colonization of California’s indigenous peoples and as close as the destructive forces of 9/11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. How do we survive destruction without becoming destroyers ourselves? How can the elements of earth, love, community and work nurture creation, and manifest hope? Utilizing the figure of “La Llorona,” a mythical indigenous figure of the Americas who first murders and then mourns her children, the poems in this book seek to unravel the mysterious fascination we have with despair, and move us along with the poet to a more clarifying, centering focus on joy. Zen, the author notes, tells us “everyone loses everything,” leaving us with only a decision about our attitude toward loss itself. La Llorona, on the other hand, says, “Nonsense – there’s always something left to lose.” What that “something” is, and how we can preserve and honor it, is at the heart of this collection of poems.

A dual milestone in City Lights history, When I Was a Poet is number 60 of the famous Pocket Poets Series, as well as our first book of poems by legendary Beat author David Meltzer. The title piece is an ambitious late work by a master at the height of his powers, a spiritual assessment of the meaning of a lifetime spent writing poetry. Also included are portraits of key figures in the poet's life, including his parents, his late wife and musical partner Tina Meltzer, and Semina artist Wallace Berman, as well as "California Dreamin'," a reminiscence of Beat-era bohemian life. Meltzer's wide-ranging musical knowledge manifests itself in "A Slew of Blues" as well as poems devoted to the likes of Art Pepper and Nusrat Ali Khan, while his esoteric interests are embodied in a series of mystical "amulets." The book's final section contains two more major works, the eight-part serial poem "Night Reals" and "Dogma," a modernist counterpoint to the autobiographical title piece. With its profound meditations on love, loss, aging and death, When I Was a Poet is a substantial contribution to American poetry by one of its greatest living practitioners. As Lawrence Ferlinghetti writes, Meltzer is "one of the greats of post-WWII San Francisco poets and musicians."

"The Fairy Green" is an ancient Children's poetry story book written by Rose Fyleman. This amazing story comes within the delusion and fairy story genres, taking young readers on a fable adventure through a wonderful the world complete of fairies, goblins, and other terrific animals. Fyleman's fabulous writing and ingenious storytelling take site visitors to the inexperienced lands of the Fairy Green, wherein wooded area sprites dance below the whole moon and depraved elves play tricks on unsuspecting vacationers. Each of the poems in the collection is a little works of art, full with shiny imagery and charming characters that pique the curiosity and excite the senses. "The Fairy Green" is a ways greater than a collection of poems; it's far a gateway to the lovely women of nature and the strength of the thoughts. Fyleman's eternal memories remind visitors of the importance of marvel and enchantment in some surroundings wherein humans are all too frequently distracted through the commonplace. Through its whimsical appealing people and ageless enchantment, "The Fairy Green" has charmed readers of each technology, motivating destiny generations to trust within the magic that exists simply backstage of fact.

An “exquisite . . . spot on” ( The Hudson Review ) collection of poems from one of our best-loved and best-selling poets that is both personal, with poetry about love, nature and reflections on the stages of life, and political, ranging from the war in Iraq and Katrina to concerns such as women’s rights and the poet’s childhood in Detroit.

"Another winning collection from one of our most read and enjoyed poets: a bountiful group of poems that reflect on language, nature, old age, young love, Judaism, and our current politics--all in her usual direct and mind-tingling fashion. "Words are my business," Marge Piercy begins her twentieth collection of poetry, a glance back at a lifetime of learning, loving, grieving, and fighting for the disenfranchised; and a look forward at what the future holds for herself, her family and friends, and her embattled country. In the opening pages, Piercy tells of her childhood in Detroit, with its vacant lots and scrappy children, the bike that gave her wings, her ambition at fourteen to "gobble" down all knowledge, a too early marriage ("I put on my first marriage / like a girdle my skinny body / didn't need.") We then leap into the Twilight Zone "after the knee has been replaced," where she is "learning to be quiet," learning to give praise despite it all. There are funny poems about medicine ads with their dire warnings, and some possible plusses about being dead: "I will never have to do another load of laundry . . ." There is "comfort in old bodies coming together," in a partner's warmth--"You're always warm: warm hands / smooth back sleek as a Burmese cat./ Sunny weather outside and in." Piercy has long been known for her political poems and her love of cats, and here there are plenty of both. Illegal immigrants, dying languages, fraught landscapes, abortion, President-speak. She examines her nonbeliever's need for religious holidays and spiritual depth, and the natural world is appreciated throughout. On the Way Out, Turn Off the Light is yet more proof of Piercy's love and mastery of language--it is moving, stimulating, funny, and full of the stuff of life"--

My Mother's Body, Marge Piercy's tenth book of poetry, takes its title from one of her strongest and most moving poems, the climax of a powerful sequence of Poems to her mother. Rooted in an honest, harrowing, but ally ecstatic confrontation of the mother / daughter relationship in all its complexity and intimacy, it is at the same time an affirmation of continuity and identification. "The Chuppah" comprises poems actually used in her wedding ceremony with Ira Wood. This section sings with powerfully female love poetry. There is also a sustained and direct use of her Jewish identity and faith in these poems, as there is in a number of other poems throughout the volume. Readers of Piercy's previous collections will not be surprised to encounter her mixture of the personal and the political, her love of animals and the Cape landscape. There are poems about doing housework, about accidents, about dreaming, about bag ladies, about luggage, about children's fears of nuclear holocaust; about tomcats, insects in the rafters, the influence of a name, appleblossoms and blackberries, pollution, and some of the ways women objectify one another. In "Does the light fail us, or do we fail the light?" Piercy writes with lacerating honesty about our relationships with the elderly and about hers with her father. Some of the most moving poems are domestic, as in the final sequence, "Six underrated pleasures," which finds in daily women's tasks both pleasure and mystery, affirmation of serf and connection with the mother. In all, My Mother's Body is one of Piercy's most powerful and balanced collections.

Poems written over the past thirty-five years deal with memories, love, self-image, politics, writers, riddles, art, and fame

My dear husband, How can I ever thank you For all the years of happiness, For all your care, concern, and love? I am so grateful To the Almighty God above For sending you my way! With you I want to stay Till the end of my last day . Even after all these many years of married life I feel like a young bride, Happy to be still at your side, On our 60th Wedding Anniversary. These poems are the expressions and manifestations of my deep love, passion, and friendship for my husband. I have also included the musical scores I composed to some of the lyrics. I am very thankful to the Almighty for sending the man of my dreams to me some 60 years ago. And I am looking forward to many more years of happiness, love, and companionship with my partner in life.

This book consists of poems from Heinrich Heine's Lyrisches Intermezzo, which was set to music by Robert Schumann as his Op. 48 Song Cycle. The poems discuss love and heartbreak in a haunting and beautiful way. This edition includes the original German text as well as an English translation. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

1971 white cover is not bright white light crease near spine, name first page, otherwise solid, unmarked copy.

My verse resembles the bread of Egypt—night passes over it, and you cannot eat it any more. Devour it the moment it is fresh, before the dust settles upon it. Its place is the warm climate of the heart; in this world it dies of cold. Like a fish it quivered for an instant on dry land, another moment and you see it is cold. Even if you eat it imagining it is fresh, it is necessary to conjure up many images. What you drink is really your own imagination; it is no old tale, my good man. Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207–73), legendary Persian Muslim poet, theologian, and mystic, wrote poems acclaimed through the centuries for their powerful spiritual images and provocative content, which often described Rumi’s love for God in romantic or erotic terms. His vast body of work includes more than three thousand lyrics and odes. This volume includes four hundred poems selected by renowned Rumi scholar A. J. Arberry, who provides here one of the most comprehensive and adept English translations of this enigmatic genius. Mystical Poems is the definitive resource for anyone seeking an introduction to or an enriched understanding of one of the world’s greatest poets. “Rumi is one of the world’s greatest lyrical poets in any language—as well as probably the most accessible and approachable representative of Islamic civilization for Western students.”—James W. Morris, Oberlin College

"Stone, Paper, Knife centers on the loss of an old love and the beginning of a new love, a woman's politics and identity rooted in the land and expressed in poems of grieving, of loving,a nd of deep and fundamental connection with the sources of life and the survival of our species and our world."--on upper cover.