ABC's - by Neeli Cherkovski (Paperback)

About the Book

In the age-old tradition of alphabet poems, from Psalm 119, to St. Augustine, to Chaucer, to Edward Lear and the present, Neeli Cherkovski's ABC'S expand the poet's singing voice, discovering remarkable musicality.

Book Synopsis

In the age-old tradition of alphabet poems, from Psalm 119, to St. Augustine, to Chaucer, to Edward Lear and the present, Neeli Cherkovski's ABC'S expand the poet's singing voice, discovering remarkable musicality in the verse's every turn. Throughout the sequence, Cherkovski delivers intoxicating melodies, forms of silence often dizzying in their new familiarity.

Review Quotes

Neeli Cherkovski's new poem bubbles with improvisatory acumen, sounds echoing sentiment: the intelligence of affect melts into the necessity for resonance-before turning around to shake your hand: comrade! friend! reader!

Charles Bernstein

"moon songs, ethereal music and / stuff like that" a way to move through numbers, letters, jazz or orchestra: "music is thought / not feeling" "music is color / not form BUT / music is beyond" and the poems have form, a narrow shape down pages, the letters start to resonate, not just jumping off points, but sounds that rhythmically fight for stretches, of humanity, humility on the hill ahead. Neeli is at his loosest here, his swing gathers him into its gullet. "hi! / how are you?" he can suddenly ask the reader, anyone. Lines swell and recede like the waters. A terrific ride, he'll keep you safe! Plus: a bonus ABC for Jack Hirschman!

Vincent Katz

In the age-old tradition of alphabet poems, from Psalm 119, to St. Augustine, to Chaucer, to Edward Lear and the present, Neeli Cherkovski's ABC'S expand the poet's singing voice, discovering remarkable musicality in the verse's every turn. Throughout the sequence, Cherkovski delivers intoxicating melodies, forms of silence often dizzying in their new familiarity.

Paul Vangelisti