Mysteriosos and Other Poems

Mysteriosos and Other Poems, Michael McClure’s newest book of poetry, speaks of working toward freedom and beauty during a time of interminable war and the destruction of nature. In the introduction, McClure clarifies his playfulness with time, explaining how within the moment of his writing all moments and memories exist. His “willingness of unwearied senses to be what they perceive” as Anne Waldman says, “opens our perceptions.”

Included in this new collection are a long travel poem about India and “Double Moire,” written in honor of Francis Crick. The poems against war are fierce and canny, while the “Mysteriosos” and “Cameos” can be seen as gentle as lullabies inventing love. “Dear Being,” a garland of thirty-seven stanzas, exults in Buddhist hwa yen.

Read Tim Pynn’s review at Beat Studies.