Micah Ballard

This is a collection of poems published by City Lights, written by an accomplished poet who now directs the MFA program at the University of San Francisco. According to the cover, Waifs and Strays "recombines the allure, fixations, and diction of the Metaphysical poets with the alert and streetwise fracturing and instant amazements in contemporary San Francisco."

Fine. If you appreciate that quote, you'll probably get more out of this book than I did. I found these poems to be almost completely inscrutable and thoroughly confusing, and I apparently bought it without reading several poems beforehand, as I usually do. "First Lesson in Arabic" is a typical example:

First Lesson in Arabic

It was hard to see he was an ordinary man
that I was an ambassador
& there was no one you could trust besides the merchandise.
Some said he carved them forever
& even if I tried to forget the fragrance
would always bring me back.
There were alabaster jars, they had things written on them
painted figures, all of which were crossing a bridge
no one dared to drink from them, this I knew
his own kind wouldn't even whisper the secret of distillation.
It was said never to be recorded
not even through symbols, this I knew too
just past the first pull

If anyone understands this poem and wants this book, please send me a PM, and it's yours.… (altro)