THOSE SECRETIVE PUNCTUATIONS!

Am reviewing the manuscript for THE THORN ROSARY. An interesting side-effect of doing a Selected (albeit only of those poems in the form of "prose poem") is seeing with almost-fresh eyes which books were the most effective. THE THORN ROSARY selects, courtesy of editor Thomas Fink, from 12 books (and some "new" prose poems). When it comes to prose poems, I expected REPRODUCTIONS OF THE EMPTY FLAGPOLE or THE BRICK to hold sway. But, unexpectedly, THE SECRET LIVES OF PUNCTUATIONS competes for the top of the heap with this hindsight-reading-exercise.

Well, good for you, ye secretive punctuations....I love surprises! And I (sometimes) love poetry paradoxes, to wit--

It's a nice surprise, particularly as the SECRETIVE PUNCTUATIONS is among my least-popular books based on poetry sales. Yet, somehow, I think that's fitting...