Manganese

Enigmatic, densely woven imagery exploring fugitive states of mind is juxtaposed with a plain-spoken narrative in this collection of poetry by Robert Saxton. Starting with a murder in China during the age of Confucius and ending with a sestina about a difficult family Christmas in front of the television, a restless, rhyme-driven craftsmanship, energetic in making new forms as well as in exploiting traditional ones, unites these extremes. The poetry's focus ranges from landmarks in cultural...