And They Shall Wear Purple
New and Selected Poems
Delight in the presence of a poet so sane as to make you want to sit at her feet, lean against her knees. And yet, Jean Hollander’s poetry won’t stroke your cheek with comforting missives—her work is commanding, powerful, spare as a shinbone. The author of five collections of poetry, a translator of Dante from the German, she held teaching positions at Princeton University, and Brooklyn and Columbia Colleges.
After Going West
Three sprigs of lavender
my son brought back for me
after hiking with friends,
and I no longer invited
the manhood I raised having come,
the stubble awkward on his chin,
he reads Hesse and Salinger
and not the books I thrust on him
I think his frame too big
to have come out of my womb,
I renounce the baby head pushing, I give
the freedom he has taken gladly
crawled out of comfort,
he has erupted mothering
and I am happy, tired of the labor,
and touching his separate skin
for the second time I feel
the wonder of that parting.
Reviewed by
Matt Sutherland
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
