Falling Water

Falling Water is John Koethe's first book in eleven years. These are not rarefied academic poems, but beautiful, moving, accessible poems by a poet at the height of his powers and maturity. In other words, they are actually a pleasure to read. The themes that have been central to Koethe's previous work-time, memory, the soul-are returned to here with a freshness and maturity that is astonishing. The poems are elegant, but not in any way facile; they are personal, but are animated by a detached lucidity, almost a disinterested soul searching. And they are accessible, without in any way being simplistic or sentimental.