{"product_id":"pagan-sky-new-amp-selected-poems-2000-2025","title":"Pagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000–2025","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn these richly textured poems—crafted with taut clarity and consummate skill—Waters confronts the immutable presence of death by reveling in sensual pleasure and spiritual daring.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eEach poem unfolds as a compelling narrative, sharpened by precise diction and lifted by lyrical grace and musical phrasing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWaters’ range is expansive, moving across geographies from Brooklyn to Romania, from the Dominican Republic to Greece, all while engaging in urgent political realities such as AIDS, Black Lives Matter, and authoritarian rule. He also draws on a vibrant cultural lineage that includes Caravaggio, Gwendolyn Brooks, Cesare Pavese, and Balthus.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePagan Sky: New and Selected Poems 2000–2025\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epresents a body of work that affirms Michael Waters as a singular and enduring voice in American poetry and as an artist whose poems continue to deepen, resonate, and enrich his remarkable literary legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: black;\"\u003ePraise for Michael Waters\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“It is difficult to imagine poetry could be more finely crafted and compelling than the work of Michael Waters, who has been quietly writing some of the best poetry in the United States for the past three decades.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Stephan Delbos,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Prague Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“The consistency of his work over the past thirty years has contributed greatly to American letters, and his unique voice within the poetry world illuminates, with precision and clarity, the intricate nature of the human condition.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Esteban Rodriguez,\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAmerican Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“One who has written fourteen well-regarded books of poetry across nearly fifty years is still capable of producing work that ranks among his best… Michael Waters is a patient craftsman.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Tony Leuzzi,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eNorth American Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Michael Waters is perhaps the best poet of his generation.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Floyd Collins,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Gettysburg Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Waters stands among the best American poets writing today.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Roberto Bonazzi,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Antonio Express-News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Waters’s work assumes a divine erotic presence even in his most harrowing poems.”\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Judith Vollmer,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Georgia Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOtherworld\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOur dozen or so ringed the holy well,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSome stooping low to cup in palms\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eCold water seeping through stone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThis being Ireland, two swans\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eFrothed the estuary. Someone twined\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eHer mauve scrunchie onto a branch\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eAmong pandemic masks \u0026amp; strips of scarves,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eRagged decoration in raucous devotion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eLapsed, I stood my ground among believers\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWho gathered stones for cairns, who\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBlessed themselves more than once\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWith soppy fingers as the whole country\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eGreened around us \u0026amp; lines of poems\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eBy Kavanaugh, Heaney, \u0026amp; Boland\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWound through sky briefly bluing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eI listened closely to the wind-thrust words.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWe tromped through mud back to the bus\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eIdling in mist of its own making,\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThen raced the weak light west as rain\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eShawled our surfacing reflections.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 0in; line-height: 150%;\" class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eOur faces wept beside us as we slept.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boa Editions","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48766241571045,"sku":null,"price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback (Signed)","offer_id":48766241603813,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":48766241636581,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/0178\/files\/PaganSky_CVR_RGB_SM.jpg?v=1775758093","url":"https:\/\/shop.boaeditions.org\/products\/pagan-sky-new-amp-selected-poems-2000-2025","provider":"Boa Editions","version":"1.0","type":"link"}