There.

Bert Almon is a professor of English at the University of Alberta and
author of Calling Texas.

This is Miki’s first new book since winning the Governor General’s Award in 2002 for Surrender. There is a complex performance, a mixture of reflections on memory, on the art of poetry, on globalization and the commodification of society, and on language. Of course, Miki centers these reflections in language, showing a fine sense of the syllable, and a sibylline sense of the prophetic qualities of language. Sometimes he is absolutely cryptic; at other times perfectly lucid, as in the title poem, a fine meditation on the creative process. One of the most interesting features of the book is the extensive use of commentaries on photographs, all of which are brilliantly printed in this well-designed book. One of Miki’s concerns is whether or not to continue writing poetry. Fortunately, he has made the right decision, and the evidence is this book, perhaps his best to date.