Quick, Now, Always

In this his third book of poetry, Mark Irwin makes stunning jumps of imagination to create a poetry that is Rilkean in conception and execution, and that speaks to the issues of history, memory, language and consciousness. Irwin's vision for America is as broad as Whitman's and Hart Crane's, his language propelled by charged rhythms and a lush music. These poems address the American experience, from shopping at Woolworth's to traveling into the Grand Canyon, from the art of Robert Mapplethorpe to that of Andy Warhol, who "watched the working class work and it bored [him] to beauty." Airport Sun extends the sky-- and the jets, Sleek aluminum pods, Nose up against The glass. Corridors Dissolve. Passengers Shuttle and queue Suddenly enclosed to a brief church of Farewells. Light floods Concrete and cloud. Wings Glint beneath sun. Planes Taxi, turn, glide; toys Moved by an invisible hand. Turbines whir, subside; a High-pitched suck and whine. Where is the outside of our Lives?