InElegy on Toy Piano, Dean Young's sixth book of poems, elegiac necessity finds itself next to goofy celebration. Daffy Duck enters the Valley of the Eternals. Faulkner and bell-bottoms cling to beauty's evanescence.
Even in single poems, Young's tone and style vary. No one feeling or idea takes precedence over another, and their simultaneity is frequently revealed; sadness may throw a squirrelly shadow, joy can find itself dressed in mourning black. As in the agitated "Whirlpool Suite": "Pain / and pleasure are two signals carried / over one phoneline."
In taking up subjects as slight as the examination of a signature or a true/false test, and as pressing as the death of friends, Young's poems embrace the duplicity of feeling, the malleability of perception, and the truth telling of wordplay.
-
Front Matter Front Matter (pp. [i]-[vi])https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.1 -
Table of Contents Table of Contents (pp. [vii]-[viii])https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.2 -
Thrown as if Fierce & Wild Thrown as if Fierce & Wild (pp. 3-3)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.3 -
Evening Primrose Evening Primrose (pp. 4-4)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.4 -
Glory Glory (pp. 5-5)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.5 -
Avalanche Garden Avalanche Garden (pp. 6-6)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.6 -
Original Monkey Original Monkey (pp. 7-8)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.7 -
Ghost Gash Ghost Gash (pp. 9-9)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.8 -
Facet Facet (pp. 10-10)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.9 -
Multi-Tasking Multi-Tasking (pp. 11-12)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.10 -
Lives of the Olympians Lives of the Olympians (pp. 13-13)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.11 -
Halflives of Youngonium Halflives of Youngonium (pp. 14-15)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.12 -
Fire Is Speaking Fire Is Speaking (pp. 16-17)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.13 -
Lives of the Veterans Lives of the Veterans (pp. 18-19)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.14 -
Little Black Squirrel Little Black Squirrel (pp. 20-20)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.15 -
Hammock Half in Sun Hammock Half in Sun (pp. 21-21)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.16 -
May Deaths May Deaths (pp. 22-22)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.17 -
Ghost Gust Ghost Gust (pp. 23-24)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.18 -
With Hidden Noise With Hidden Noise (pp. 27-28)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.19 -
Sign Here Sign Here (pp. 29-31)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.20 -
Yawn Yawn (pp. 32-32)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.21 -
Skipping the Reception Skipping the Reception (pp. 33-33)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.22 -
Lives of the Robots Lives of the Robots (pp. 34-35)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.23 -
Ghost Grease Ghost Grease (pp. 36-37)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.24 -
Alarm Clock Alarm Clock (pp. 38-38)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.25 -
Flamenco Flamenco (pp. 39-39)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.26 -
Learn by Doing Learn by Doing (pp. 40-41)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.27 -
True/False True/False (pp. 42-44)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.28 -
Bolinas, California Bolinas, California (pp. 45-45)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.29 -
Peach Farm Peach Farm (pp. 46-46)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.30 -
Venus Venus (pp. 47-48)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.31 -
Flamenco Flamenco (pp. 49-49)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.32 -
What’s Wrong with this Picture What’s Wrong with this Picture (pp. 50-51)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.33 -
Interview Interview (pp. 52-53)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.34 -
Lives of the Mortals Lives of the Mortals (pp. 54-56)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.35 -
Whoz Side U On, Anyway? Whoz Side U On, Anyway? (pp. 59-60)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.36 -
Shield of Moon Dust Shield of Moon Dust (pp. 61-62)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.37 -
Tongue Doctor Tongue Doctor (pp. 63-64)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.38 -
Rabbit, I Love You Rabbit, I Love You (pp. 65-66)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.39 -
Whirlpool Suite Whirlpool Suite (pp. 67-68)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.40 -
Is This Mic On? Is This Mic On? (pp. 69-70)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.41 -
Lemon Garlic Duck Lemon Garlic Duck (pp. 71-73)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.42 -
I Said Yes I Meant No I Said Yes I Meant No (pp. 74-75)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.43 -
Bathed in Dust and Ash Bathed in Dust and Ash (pp. 76-76)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.44 -
I Saw My Life Go By in the Coyote’s Jaws I Saw My Life Go By in the Coyote’s Jaws (pp. 77-78)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.45 -
Gray Matter Gray Matter (pp. 79-79)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.46 -
Reentry Reentry (pp. 80-81)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.47 -
Bivouacked & Garrisoned Capitol Bivouacked & Garrisoned Capitol (pp. 82-83)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.48 -
Elegy on Toy Piano Elegy on Toy Piano (pp. 84-85)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.49 -
Last Words Last Words (pp. 86-87)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.50 -
Rushing through the Night Rushing through the Night (pp. 88-88)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.51 -
Acknowledgments Acknowledgments (pp. 91-92)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.52 -
Back Matter Back Matter (pp. 93-93)https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt5hjnt2.53