The Open Hand - by David Axelrod (Paperback)

About the Book

The poems in The Open Hand journey across the upper Rhine and Alps to contemporary West Jerusalem and far northern Europe, asking, "Where does the joy come from?" Whether addressing the accusation of a "libelous chain of causation" in medieval legend, a moment in an alley with a Syrian refugee, foxes in the Tiergarten, or a Paris side street where the disciple of a charismatic rabbi celebrates "the graven acts God forbade," these poems return us always to earthbound pleasures, stepping toward us to say, after many rehearsals, "stay, enjoy."

Book Synopsis

The poems in The Open Hand journey across the upper Rhine and Alps to contemporary West Jerusalem and far northern Europe, asking, "Where does the joy come from?" Whether addressing the accusation of a "libelous chain of causation" in medieval legend, a moment in an alley with a Syrian refugee, foxes in the Tiergarten, or a Paris side street where the disciple of a charismatic rabbi celebrates "the graven acts God forbade," these poems return us always to earthbound pleasures, stepping toward us to say, after many rehearsals, "stay, enjoy."

About the Author

David Axelrod has published eight collections of poems and a collection of non-fiction, Troubled Intimacies. He teaches at Eastern Oregon University, where he directs the Ars Poetica Lecture Series and edits--along with Jodi Varon--the award-winning basalt: a journal of fine and literary arts.