The New York Times praised David Yezzi this week for his new book of poetry, Birds of the Air. The review notes David’s “span of tones, subjects and styles.”
Equally impressive are the blank-verse monologues “Spoils,” “Schnauzer” and “Tomorrow & Tomorrow,” the speakers ranging from a thief cleaning out a dying man’s home to a dog-owning abductor and a failed actor. Here Yezzi’s inventive ventriloquism convincingly modulates his rhythms, recording natural speech in measured lines: “Her teeth were too big and a bit off-center / in a way that made me always want to kiss her.”
The newspaper confirms what we already know, that David “ranks among our best formalists.”
Birds of the Air is available on Amazon.