Refusing heaven: poems

110 Pages·0.284 MB·English

by  Gilbert, Jack

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also by jack gilbert
The Great Fires
Monolithos
Views of Jeopardy
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Refusing Heaven
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Refu sing He ave n
p o e m s b y
J a c k G i l b e r t
A l f r e d A . K n o p f N e w Yo r k 2 0 0 5
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THIS IS A BORZOI BOOK
PUBLISHED BY ALFRED A.KNOPF
Copyright © 2005by Jack Gilbert
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. Published in the United States by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House
of Canada Limited, Toronto. Distributed by Random House, Inc., New York.
www.aaknopf.com
Knopf, Borzoi Books, and the colophon are registered
trademarks of Random House, Inc.
The following poems first appeared in The New Yorker:“Résumé,” “Bring in the Gods,”
“Transgressions,” “A Brief for the Defense,” “By Small and Small: Midnight to Four A.M.,” “What
to Want,” and an earlier version of “A Kind of Courage” (as “Trying to Sleep”).
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gilbert, Jack, [date]
Refusing heaven : poems / by Jack Gilbert.—1st ed.
p. cm.
isbn1-4000-4365-4
I. Title.
ps3557.i34217r44 2005
813'.54—dc22 2004048844
Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition
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For Linda Gregg and Michiko Nogami
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CONTENTS
A BRIEF FOR THE DEFENSE 3
NAKED EXCEPT FOR THE JEWELRY 4
PUT HER IN THE FIELDS FOR KINDNESS 5
WHAT SONG SHOULD WE SING 6
HAVING THE HAVING 7
SAY YOU LOVE ME 8
KUNSTKAMMER 9
HALLOWEEN 10
ELEGY FOR BOB 11
RE´SUME´ 12
MORE THAN SIXTY 13
BY SMALL AND SMALL: MIDNIGHT TO FOUR A.M. 14
ONCE UPON A TIME 15
A CLOSE CALL 16
THE ROOSTER 17
FAILING AND FLYING 18
BURNING 19
THE OTHER PERFECTION 20
A BALL OF SOMETHING 21
GETTING AWAY WITH IT 22
TRUTH 23
TRANSGRESSIONS 24
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THE ABANDONED VALLEY 25
HAPPENING APART FROM WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND IT 26
EXCEEDING THE SPIRIT 27
MEDITATION ELEVEN: READING BLAKE AGAIN 28
HOW MUCH OF THAT IS LEFT IN ME? 29
’TIS HERE! ’TIS HERE! ’TIS GONE! 30
AMBITION 32
BEING YOUNG BACK THEN 33
NOT GETTING CLOSER 34
ADULTS 35
SEEN FROM ABOVE 36
GETTING CLOSER 37
THE MAIL 38
LESS BEING MORE 39
HOMAGE TO WANG WEI 40
THE BUTTERNUT TREE AT FORT JUNIPER 41
DOING POETRY 42
HOMESTEADING 43
THE SWEET TASTE OF THE NIGHT 44
HONOR 45
TRYING TO WRITE POETRY 46
A KIND OF COURAGE 47
HAPPILY PLANTING THE BEANS TOO EARLY 48
WHAT TO WANT 49
BRING IN THE GODS 50
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THE NEGLIGIBLE 52
THE LOST HOTELS OF PARIS 53
FEATHERS OR LEAD 54
WHAT PLENTY 56
THE GARDEN 57
MUSIC IS IN THE PIANO ONLY WHEN IT IS PLAYED 58
WINNING ON THE BLACK 59
REFUSING HEAVEN 60
THE FRIENDSHIP INSIDE US 61
A THANKSGIVING DANCE 62
HORSES AT MIDNIGHT WITHOUT A MOON 63
IMMACULATE 64
MOREOVER 65
A KIND OF DECORUM 66
A WALK BLOSSOMING 67
FARMING IN SECRET 68
DECEMBER NINTH, 1960 69
NOT THE HAPPINESS BUT THE CONSEQUENCE OF HAPPINESS 70
INFIDELITY 71
THE REINVENTION OF HAPPINESS 72
LOOKING AT PITTSBURGH FROM PARIS 73
“MY EYES ADORED YOU” 74
BEYOND PLEASURE 75
DUENDE 76
THE GOOD LIFE 77
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