Very Collected Poems

his work] is the tension between the buoyancy of its language and the gravity of its subject.” —The Washington Post “Every page is a good time. . . . Sweet, hilarious, moving and mind-bogglingly imaginative. This book is for anyone who likes writing or who thinks it’s interesting to have a mind (or simply a forehead).” —Richard Hell, The Wall Street Journal “A twentieth-century Great who is still producing superlative verse today. . . . And that’s exactly what Padgett is: a virtuoso.” —Seth Abramson, Huffington Post “Padgett’s sense of romantic joy is undiminished, as is his thoughtfulness about language and the ways in which time changes meaning, and sense can morph into eloquent absurdity.” —Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly “Wonderful, generous, funny poetry.” —John Ashbery