Swimming Lessons: Selected Poems

By: Nancy Willard

Sign Up Now! Already a Member? Log In
You must be logged into Bookshare to access this title. Learn about membership options, or view our freely available titles.

Synopsis: This marvelous collection brings together the finest of Nancy Willard&’s work Transporting us from Michigan farm country to the streets of New York, from a family picnic by a stream to snow-covered fields peopled by angels, the poems gathered here represent the best of Nancy Willard.Willard&’s gift for peeling back everyday existence to reveal something magical and wondrous is everywhere in evidence here. Ordinary trees become surreal landscapes &“fanning the fire in their stars&” and &“spraying fountains of light.&” Poems featuring Great Danes, donkeys, and rabbits reveal Willard&’s love for all living creatures. &“How to Stuff a Pepper&” and &“A Psalm for Running Water&” coexist with poems about visits from God. The title poem tells the story of Willard at seven, while &“Questions My Son Asked Me, Answers I Never Gave Him&” explores the joys and pitfalls of being a mother.Offering imagery from mythical goddesses to pumpkin saints to wise jellyfish, these are poems of astonishing imagination and grace, and will introduce a new generation of readers to Willard&’s remarkable body of work.