The Book of Goodbyes Read online

Page 5

Each in His Season

  W. D. Snodgrass

  No. 27

  Wordworks: Poems Selected and New

  Richard Kostelanetz

  No. 28

  What We Carry

  Dorianne Laux

  No. 29

  Red Suitcase

  Naomi Shihab Nye

  No. 30

  Song

  Brigit Pegeen Kelly

  No. 31

  The Fuehrer Bunker: The Complete Cycle

  W. D. Snodgrass

  No. 32

  For the Kingdom

  Anthony Piccione

  No. 33

  The Quicken Tree

  Bill Knott

  No. 34

  These Upraised Hands

  William B. Patrick

  No. 35

  Crazy Horse in Stillness

  William Heyen

  No. 36

  Quick, Now, Always

  Mark Irwin

  No. 37

  I Have Tasted the Apple

  Mary Crow

  No. 38

  The Terrible Stories

  Lucille Clifton

  No. 39

  The Heat of Arrivals

  Ray Gonzalez

  No. 40

  Jimmy & Rita

  Kim Addonizio

  No. 41

  Green Ash, Red Maple, Black Gum

  Michael Waters

  No. 42

  Against Distance

  Peter Makuck

  No. 43

  The Night Path

  Laurie Kutchins

  No. 44

  Radiography

  Bruce Bond

  No. 45

  At My Ease: Uncollected Poems of the Fifties and Sixties

  David Ignatow

  No. 46

  Trillium

  Richard Foerster

  No. 47

  Fuel

  Naomi Shihab Nye

  No. 48

  Gratitude

  Sam Hamill

  No. 49

  Diana, Charles, & the Queen

  William Heyen

  No. 50

  Plus Shipping

  Bob Hicok

  No. 51

  Cabato Sentora

  Ray Gonzalez

  No. 52

  We Didn’t Come Here for This

  William B. Patrick

  No. 53

  The Vandals

  Alan Michael Parker

  No. 54

  To Get Here

  Wendy Mnookin

  No. 55

  Living Is What I Wanted: Last Poems

  David Ignatow

  No. 56

  Dusty Angel

  Michael Blumenthal

  No. 57

  The Tiger Iris

  Joan Swift

  No. 58

  White City

  Mark Irwin

  No. 59

  Laugh at the End of the World: Collected Comic Poems 1969–1999

  Bill Knott

  No. 60

  Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems: 1988–2000

  Lucille Clifton

  No. 61

  Tell Me

  Kim Addonizio

  No. 62

  Smoke

  Dorianne Laux

  No. 63

  Parthenopi: New and Selected Poems

  Michael Waters

  No. 64

  Rancho Notorious

  Richard Garcia

  No. 65

  Jam

  Joe-Anne McLaughlin

  No. 66

  A. Poulin, Jr. Selected Poems

  Edited, with an Introduction by Michael Waters

  No. 67

  Small Gods of Grief

  Laure-Anne Bosselaar

  No. 68

  Book of My Nights

  Li-Young Lee

  No. 69

  Tulip Farms and Leper Colonies

  Charles Harper Webb

  No. 70

  Double Going

  Richard Foerster

  No. 71

  What He Took

  Wendy Mnookin

  No. 72

  The Hawk Temple at Tierra Grande

  Ray Gonzalez

  No. 73

  Mules of Love

  Ellen Bass

  No. 74

  The Guests at the Gate

  Anthony Piccione

  No. 75

  Dumb Luck

  Sam Hamill

  No. 76

  Love Song with Motor Vehicles

  Alan Michael Parker

  No. 77

  Life Watch

  Willis Barnstone

  No. 78

  The Owner of the House: New Collected Poems 1940–2001

  Louis Simpson

  No. 79

  Is

  Wayne Dodd

  No. 80

  Late

  Cecilia Woloch

  No. 81

  Precipitates

  Debra Kang Dean

  No. 82

  The Orchard

  Brigit Pegeen Kelly

  No. 83

  Bright Hunger

  Mark Irwin

  No. 84

  Desire Lines: New and Selected Poems

  Lola Haskins

  No. 85

  Curious Conduct

  Jeanne Marie Beaumont

  No. 86

  Mercy

  Lucille Clifton

  No. 87

  Model Homes

  Wayne Koestenbaum

  No. 88

  Farewell to the Starlight in Whiskey

  Barton Sutter

  No. 89

  Angels for the Burning

  David Mura

  No. 90

  The Rooster’s Wife

  Russell Edson

  No. 91

  American Children

  Jim Simmerman

  No. 92

  Postcards from the Interior

  Wyn Cooper

  No. 93

  You & Yours

  Naomi Shihab Nye

  No. 94

  Consideration of the Guitar: New and Selected Poems 1986–2005

  Ray Gonzalez

  No. 95

  Off-Season in the Promised Land

  Peter Makuck

  No. 96

  The Hoopoe’s Crown

  Jacqueline Osherow

  No. 97

  Not for Specialists: New and Selected Poems

  W. D. Snodgrass

  No. 98

  Splendor

  Steve Kronen

  No. 99

  Woman Crossing a Field

  Deena Linett

  No. 100

  The Burning of Troy

  Richard Foerster

  No. 101

  Darling Vulgarity

  Michael Waters

  No. 102

  The Persistence of Objects

  Richard Garcia

  No. 103

  Slope of the Child Everlasting

  Laurie Kutchins

  No. 104

  Broken Hallelujahs

  Sean Thomas Dougherty

  No. 105

  Peeping Tom’s Cabin: Comic Verse 1928–2008

  X. J. Kennedy

  No. 106

  Disclamor

  G.C. Waldrep

  No. 107

  Encouragement for a Man Falling to His Death

  Christopher Kennedy

  No. 108

  Sleeping with Houdini

  Nin Andrews

  No. 109

  Nomina

  Karen Volkman

  No. 110

  The Fortieth Day

  Kazim Ali

  No. 111

  Elephants & Butterflies

  Alan Michael Parker

  No. 112

  Voices

  Lucille Clifton

  No. 113

  The Moon Makes Its Own Plea

  Wendy Mnookin

  No. 114

  The Heaven-Sent Leaf

  Katy Lederer

  No. 115

/>   Struggling Times

  Louis Simpson

  No. 116

  And

  Michael Blumenthal

  No. 117

  Carpathia

  Cecilia Woloch

  No. 118

  Seasons of Lotus, Seasons of Bone

  Matthew Shenoda

  No. 119

  Sharp Stars

  Sharon Bryan

  No. 120

  Cool Auditor

  Ray Gonzalez

  No. 121

  Long Lens: New and Selected Poems

  Peter Makuck

  No. 122

  Chaos Is the New Calm

  Wyn Cooper

  No. 123

  Diwata

  Barbara Jane Reyes

  No. 124

  Burning of the Three Fires

  Jeanne Marie Beaumont

  No. 125

  Sasha Sings the Laundry on the Line

  Sean Thomas Dougherty

  No. 126

  Your Father on the Train of Ghosts

  G.C. Waldrep and John Gallaher

  No. 127

  Ennui Prophet

  Christopher Kennedy

  No. 128

  Transfer

  Naomi Shihab Nye

  No. 129

  Gospel Night

  Michael Waters

  No. 130

  The Hands of Strangers: Poems from the Nursing Home

  Janice N. Harrington

  No. 131

  Kingdom Animalia

  Aracelis Girmay

  No. 132

  True Faith

  Ira Sadoff

  No. 133

  The Reindeer Camps and Other Poems

  Barton Sutter

  No. 134

  The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton: 1965–2010

  No. 135

  To Keep Love Blurry

  Craig Morgan Teicher

  No. 136

  Theophobia

  Bruce Beasley

  No. 137

  Refuge

  Adrie Kusserow

  No. 138

  The Book of Goodbyes

  Jillian Weise

  COLOPHON

  The Isabella Gardner Poetry Award is given biennially to a poet in mid-career with a new book of exceptional merit. Poet, actress, and associate editor of Poetry magazine, Isabella Gardner (1915–1981) published five celebrated collections of poetry, was three times nominated for the National Book Award, and was the first recipient of the New York State Walt Whitman Citation of Merit for Poetry. She championed the work of young and gifted poets, helping many of them to find publication.

  The publication of this book is made possible, in part, by the special support of the following individuals:

  Anonymous

  Nin Andrews

  Angela Bonazinga & Catherine Lewis

  Bernadette Catalana

  Anne Germanacos

  Melissa Hall & Joe Torre

  Robert & Willy Hursh

  Keith Kearney & Debby McLean, in memory of Peter Hursh

  X. J. & Dorothy M. Kennedy

  Jack & Gail Langerak

  Katy Lederer

  Barbara & John Lovenheim

  Gert Niers

  Boo Poulin

  Steven O. Russell & Phyllis Rifkin-Russell