Lucia Perillos poems cannot be ignored or forgotten. . . . In imagery asstartlingly original as Anne Sextons and in philosophical tone as harsh andcourageous as... » 

Lucia Perillos poems cannot be ignored or forgotten. . . . In imagery asstartlingly original as Anne Sextons and in philosophical tone as harsh andcourageous as Adrienne Richs Perillo creates poems of great energy andpower.Choice Lucia Perillos hardedged yet vulnerable poems attempt toreconcile the comic impulsethe humorous deflection of anxietywith thecomplications and tragedies of living in a mortal fragile meat cage.Perillos surgical honestyand biting nourishing humorchronicle humanfailings sexuality and the collision of nature with the manufactured world.Whether recalling her former career as a naturalist experimenting on white ratsor watching birds from her wheelchair she draws the reader into unforgettableplaces rich in image and story. Dont look up because the ceiling issufferingsome serious violations of the electrical code the whole chaotickelplike messabout to shower us with flames . . .Here take a seat on theserickety risersinside my head though your life isnt mine still I have hopefor your hearingthe gist of this refrainabout how glad he is that hes notdead. MacArthur Fellow Lucia Perillo is the author of four books of poetrythat have won the Norma Farber First Book Award the Kate Tufts Prize theBalcones Prize and the Kingsley Tufts Award. Her critically acclaimed memoirIve Heard the Vultures Singing Field Notes on Poetry Illness and Naturewas published in 2007. «