Dear Body:

Author: Dan Machlin 

Publisher: Ugly Duckling Press (2007)

In the title sequence of this stunning debut, poet Dan Machlin imagines the dialog between body and mind as a playful literary correspondence. One that begins whimsically: “We prayed to your effigy like to a beautiful library book you wanted to steal,” but can turn violent (“Cut off a finger to see if you would notice, but the blood said nothing and I / just stood there moments with an open mouth”). Still, these poems never abandon their innate optimism, humor, and eloquent lightness as they explore diverse forms and vocabularies on their search for “an opening, an architecture.”