Top Poetry Picks

These are the poetry books that have impressed me the most so far this year. None are 2012 publications.

Rod Smith's "Deed"




Gil Ott's "The Whole Note"



Michael Gottlieb's "The Likes of Us"



Craig Watson's "Sleepwalking With Orpheus"



Frank Sherlock's "Over Here"



William Fuller's "Three Replies"

White-haired Melody, a novel by Furui Yoshikichi

I am being deeply affected by this quietly but profoundly meditative narrative. Full of subtle musings and observations on themes of aging, madness and death, the book is also full of the distinctively Japanese appreciation for the myriad joys and beauties to be found in the commonplace and quotidian. It's a terrific example of how a novel about nothing can be about virtually everything.