Beauties of the Octagonal Pool

Making unexpected connections, this book collects poems written from a variety of times, locations, and experiences from the water frontage of Fiji, Fiordland, and the Mediterranean to the built history of Moscow and Berlin. Filled with a thoughtful musicality, a shambling romance, and a sense of humor, these witty and imaginative poems tell storiesthat range froma mechanical rat on Raoul Island toa black negligee and an ice-cream vendor in Moscow, and froma mayor and the Mistral in France to a new musical sound in New Zealand. Engaging and lively, this compilation highlights the persistent self-consciousness about the relationship between language and the world."