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Here's another poetry book not yet nominated for a Cybils.

Over the past few days, I've read Poems in Black & White, by Kate Miller (Wordsong, 2007) two times. It's filled with the kinds of poems that stay with me, that pop into my head at odd moments throughout the day.

The premise is simple. The poems are all about objects that are black and white: cows, a black cat behind white curtains, a comet, etc. The poems are free verse, though there's plenty of near rhyme and wonderful rhythm.

One of my favorite poems is "Comet," which is also the poem featured on the back cover:

Comet

    A swirling smudge
              of luminescent white
 it flings a dusty tail
              of blurry light
          across
the neatly ordered sky--
   a tease
         of breezy
               imperfection--
                   as if some
                          impish thumb
                                  had smeared
                                       a star
                                              before 
                                                       the night
                                                                had dried


The art for the book is also by Miller (I'm so jealous of a poet/illustrator!). It's, of course, all in black and white, and a fascinating end note describes how Miller makes the monotype illustrations. Amazing!

The poems in this book are serious, funny, melancholy...a wide range. But they are marked by a keen sense of observation of life. I felt like each poem was truly a frozen moment in which the poet saw things with great clarity and then expressed that moment painstakingly.

Here's another one I love:

First Steps

when you were new
just minutes old
and baby bare
they caught your
pedaling feet
just long enough
to ink them black
and press their prints
upon a glossy sheet
of pearl-white paper

two tapered soles
of elfin size
creased with lines
unique to you that
mark you mine
ten rounded toes
like stepping stones
left and right
a perfect pair
adventure bound

Isn't that wonderful? If you haven't yet made your poetry nomination for the Cybils, I hope you'll read this book! If you love it, then please consider nominating it for a Cybils.