The poems of Reginald Shepherd's third book move among, mix, and manufacture stories, seeking to redefine the meaning of mythology. From the ruined representatives of Greek divinity (broken statues and fragmented stories), and the dazzling extravagances of predecessors like Hart Crane and Wallace Stevens, to the fleeting promises of popular music and the laconic demigods of the contemporary gay subculture, they sketch maps of a world in which desire may find a restless home. But desire leads the maps astray and maps mislead desire. The poems poems both enact language's powers to create a world and enforce the world's insistence (material, social, sexual, racial, historical) that mind (and body) surrender to circumstance. The struggle between these two halves that will never make a whole produces new myths of occasion, "packing the rifts/with sleeplessness, filling the gaps with lack." In that space between promise and deprivation,Wrongbuilds its song.
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Front Matter Front Matter (pp. [i]-[vi])https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.1 -
Table of Contents Table of Contents (pp. [vii]-[viii])https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.2 -
Before Before (pp. 3-4)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.3 -
PART I -
Geology of Water Geology of Water (pp. 7-9)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.4 -
Kneeling Self-Portrait Kneeling Self-Portrait (pp. 10-10)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.5 -
At the End of Outside At the End of Outside (pp. 11-11)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.6 -
Antibody Antibody (pp. 12-13)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.7 -
Another Unclassical Eclogue Another Unclassical Eclogue (pp. 14-15)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.8 -
Placet Futile Placet Futile (pp. 16-16)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.9 -
The Beautiful The Beautiful (pp. 17-18)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.10 -
Salt Point Salt Point (pp. 19-20)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.11 -
Deepest of the Great Lakes, Largest Too Deepest of the Great Lakes, Largest Too (pp. 21-21)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.12 -
Where It Passes, Untouchable Where It Passes, Untouchable (pp. 22-22)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.13 -
Lens Lens (pp. 23-23)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.14 -
Acmeist Night Acmeist Night (pp. 24-24)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.15 -
Surface Effects in Summer Wind Surface Effects in Summer Wind (pp. 25-25)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.16 -
Narcissus Poetica Narcissus Poetica (pp. 26-27)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.17 -
Solstice as Demon Lover Solstice as Demon Lover (pp. 28-29)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.18 -
Vampires Vampires (pp. 30-30)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.19
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PART II -
Hermes, the Trickster Hermes, the Trickster (pp. 33-34)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.20 -
Another Conversation With the Moon Another Conversation With the Moon (pp. 35-35)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.21 -
About a Boy About a Boy (pp. 36-37)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.22 -
Another Movable Feast Another Movable Feast (pp. 38-39)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.23 -
Locale Locale (pp. 40-40)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.24 -
Who Owns the Night and Leases Stars Who Owns the Night and Leases Stars (pp. 41-41)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.25 -
Moonlight on Endymion’s Sleep Moonlight on Endymion’s Sleep (pp. 42-42)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.26 -
Princes Princes (pp. 43-43)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.27 -
False Nocturne False Nocturne (pp. 44-44)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.28 -
Popular Music of the Forties Popular Music of the Forties (pp. 45-46)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.29 -
Saint Hyacinth Saint Hyacinth (pp. 47-47)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.30 -
Miscegenation Miscegenation (pp. 48-48)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.31 -
A Photo of the Berberini Faun A Photo of the Berberini Faun (pp. 49-50)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.32 -
That Man That Man (pp. 51-54)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.33
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PART III -
Littler Sonnet Littler Sonnet (pp. 57-58)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.34 -
To the Southern Cross as It Disappears To the Southern Cross as It Disappears (pp. 59-60)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.35 -
Some Maps Some Maps (pp. 61-62)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.36 -
This History of His Body This History of His Body (pp. 63-63)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.37 -
Proprioception Proprioception (pp. 64-65)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.38 -
Brightens Brightens (pp. 66-67)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.39 -
From the World of Matter From the World of Matter (pp. 68-69)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.40 -
Seven Little Songs About the Moon Seven Little Songs About the Moon (pp. 70-71)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.41 -
Motive Motive (pp. 72-72)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.42 -
Dear Blackbird Dear Blackbird (pp. 73-73)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.43 -
Cities for Carter Cities for Carter (pp. 74-75)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.44 -
Also Love You Also Love You (pp. 76-78)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.45
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PART IV -
Nights and Days of Nineteen-Something Nights and Days of Nineteen-Something (pp. 81-83)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.46 -
Crepuscular Crepuscular (pp. 84-84)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.47 -
Telemachus on the Waterfront Telemachus on the Waterfront (pp. 85-87)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.48 -
At the Grave of Hart Crane At the Grave of Hart Crane (pp. 88-89)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.49 -
Icarus on Fire Island Icarus on Fire Island (pp. 90-90)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.50 -
The Little Mermaid’s Fortune Teller The Little Mermaid’s Fortune Teller (pp. 91-91)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.51 -
Shipwreck and Drift Shipwreck and Drift (pp. 92-93)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.52 -
Michael Who Walks by Night Michael Who Walks by Night (pp. 94-95)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.53 -
S’il Meurt S’il Meurt (pp. 96-97)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.54 -
L’Après-Midi L’Après-Midi (pp. 98-99)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.55 -
World World (pp. 100-102)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.56
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Acknowledgments Acknowledgments (pp. 103-104)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt7zw94p.57