He has the kind of credentials that impress me, I've been impressed by some of his poems published in "Poetry" magazine, and he's highly regarded by some people that I highly regard, but though there's no sloppiness I couldn't find that much to admire. "Tea For My Father" is the first paragraph of a story (early McEwan, say). "Vecchi Versi" and "Masque" are beyond me. "The Adulterer" and "June" are one-idea poems that outstay their welcome. "Fairy Tale" has "the window sash propped open on a splint of wood/like a tired eye on a matchstick" and "It struck me I was exactly the person/to write the life of the pink shopping bag/hovering irresolutely/on the triangular intersection below." but little else. I like most of the free-wheeling "Fou Rire" and "Summer". Some of the longer poems (e.g. "Litany") end up being mood pieces - lists of descriptive lines.
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