Good Heart

Be the first to write a review

Overview

Good Heart is Deborah Keenan’s honest and courageous personal historical narrative. This collection of poems explores what a “good heart” must do to survive difficult life decisions, letting go of old friends, and losing family members — a journey that leads, if we’re lucky, to wisdom. The recipient of two Bush Foundation Fellowships, an NEA Fellowship, and a Loft-McKnight Poet of Distinction Award, Keenan’s poems imbue ordinary life experiences with an unconditional affection that evokes understanding and ...
See more details below
Available through our Marketplace sellers.
See All Options
Other sellers (Paperback)
  • All (12) from $1.99   
  • New (2) from $23.63   
  • Used (10) from $0.00   
Close
Sort by
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Note: Marketplace items are not eligible for any BN.com coupons and promotions
$23.63
Stork Group
Seller since 2011

Feedback rating:

(557)

Condition:

New — never opened or used in original packaging.

Like New — packaging may have been opened. A "Like New" item is suitable to give as a gift.

Very Good — may have minor signs of wear on packaging but item works perfectly and has no damage.

Good — item is in good condition but packaging may have signs of shelf wear/aging or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Acceptable — item is in working order but may show signs of wear such as scratches or torn packaging. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Used — An item that has been opened and may show signs of wear. All specific defects should be noted in the Comments section associated with each item.

Refurbished — A used item that has been renewed or updated and verified to be in proper working condition. Not necessarily completed by the original manufacturer.

New
Brand new and unread! Join our growing list of satisfied customers!

Ships from: Phoenix, MD

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
$23.64
Extremely_Reliable
Seller since 2007

Feedback rating:

(7877)

Condition: New
Buy with confidence. Excellent Customer Service & Return policy.

Ships from: Richmond, TX

Usually ships in 1-2 business days

  • •Canadian
  • •International
  • •Standard, 48 States
  • •Standard (AK, HI)
Page 1 of 1
Showing All
Close
Sort by
Sending request ...

More About This Book

Overview

Good Heart is Deborah Keenan’s honest and courageous personal historical narrative. This collection of poems explores what a “good heart” must do to survive difficult life decisions, letting go of old friends, and losing family members — a journey that leads, if we’re lucky, to wisdom. The recipient of two Bush Foundation Fellowships, an NEA Fellowship, and a Loft-McKnight Poet of Distinction Award, Keenan’s poems imbue ordinary life experiences with an unconditional affection that evokes understanding and compassion.
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

KLIATT
Keenan's poems keep me reading, I think, in part, because she asks questions, as if engaged in conversation with herself or another persona in the poem. This results in a sometimes quirky yet always engaging style. Even when writing about death and loss, her humor keeps me from taking everything so seriously. Or else, this questioning causes me to stop, to reconsider, to see things differently. Her words are precise and unpretentious. She's a master of form, making good use of repetition, internal rhyme, the inventive line and stanza break, and the prose poem. In "Skeleton," her first and longest poem, she invents several personas for these bones. Her humor is evident: "He's making noises but he's no / Magician. He makes pain / But it's not personal." This is the skeleton of loss; the loss of friendship, parents, and self-respect. Her images are striking, sometimes shocking, as in "The Painting of the Amaryllis," a lovely, sad piece about a daughter discovering her mother's drowned corpse while her living mother pulls her back. The mother is speaking: "Don't let her hold you, she said, though it was terrible / To deny her dead self in this way." Keenan's understanding of human emotions is profound. She can see the world as if through a child's eyes, often yearning, sometimes brutally honest. In "Emerald," a make-believe place becomes real again, the "blue bucket to eat from" and "a sturdy chair that lives in rain / and snow and never falters." I love every poem in this collection, even the more obscure ones that deserve several readings. Maybe Keenan speaks to me because she seems to live her poetry, and with her questions, come to greater clarity. "Butterfly Weed," about a plant she hadto learn to love, is a simple story yet a great leap in understanding: "And the orange blossoms touched / something in me, touched my hatred, / My easy ways with judgment, / And I let my love for the flower / Be a small victory against all / I've hated carelessly/ With great attention and pride." Would that we could all be taught by such a flower. KLIATT Codes: SA;Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 2003, Milkweed, 84p., Budin
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781571314154
  • Publisher: Milkweed Editions
  • Publication date: 2/10/2003
  • Pages: 84
  • Product dimensions: 6.05 (w) x 9.02 (h) x 0.29 (d)

Table of Contents

After Happiness 3
What It Was Like Today: Given Over 7
Travel 8
After D. H. Lawrence 10
Garlic/Trees/Incest 12
I Knew Her Once 14
The Brother in the Sky 16
What It Was Like Today: Not Taking Their Place 18
The Painting of the Amaryllis 19
Aerial View of Caribou/Slow Moves in the Black-and-White Movie 21
For Twenty-Two Years 22
In Emerald 23
Story from Another Land 25
The Wind 26
Hope 27
Good Heart 31
The Key 35
When Men Poets You Admire and Respect Can Only Answer Sappho When Asked in Public Are There Any Women Poets They Admire 37
What It Was Like Today: Facing East 38
None of This 39
In Florida, As Smoke Billows across the Highway/inside the black-and-white dream 41
Butterfly Weed 43
The Birdhouse 44
The Noisiest Owl in North America 46
The Last Lion 48
His Red Chair 50
The Exchange 51
Signing My Name in the Book of the Dead 52
Across the Threshold 54
Shrines for the New Dead 56
Gone 58
R. E. M. Channels Leonard Cohen 60
Time & Love 62
Hands in the Garden 64
Common 65
The Park 67
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Be the first to write a review
( 0 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(0)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
    If you find inappropriate content, please report it to Barnes & Noble
    Why is this product inappropriate?
    Comments (optional)