Heyday Books, 2006 $12.95

The title of Gary Young’s new prose poetry collection begs for one of those trite meaningless blurb summations like, “Pleasure is a pleasure!” But the truth is, there is as much death and sorrow in this book as there is light and bliss. And that is what makes Young’s poetry sagely and affirming in a substantial way, in a way that acknowledges, with a peaceful sigh, that life is sweet because it is over too soon. Young’s sincerity and apparent lack of attachment to the surrealist impulses that dominate prose poetry give him a unique voice in that milieu. His prose poetry lineage would be Bly by way of Ponge, but I think that sells Young short. His work is closer to that of the Deep Image poetics of Anthony Piccione and Li-Young Lee than any of his prose poetry predecessors. Young writes sublimely of earthly delights: eating raw fish, exhaling cigar smoke among the trees, making love while half-asleep. His poetry is a Zen-like paean to being, “in the moment.” He will help you get there.