Bestiary

Poems

Fiction & Literature, Poetry
Cover of the book Bestiary by Donika Kelly, Graywolf Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Donika Kelly ISBN: 9781555979539
Publisher: Graywolf Press Publication: October 11, 2016
Imprint: Graywolf Press Language: English
Author: Donika Kelly
ISBN: 9781555979539
Publisher: Graywolf Press
Publication: October 11, 2016
Imprint: Graywolf Press
Language: English

Donika Kelly's fierce debut collection, longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award and winner of the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize

I thought myself lion and serpent. Thought
myself body enough for two, for we.
Found comfort in never being lonely.

What burst from my back, from my bones, what lived
along the ridge from crown to crown, from mane
to forked tongue beneath the skin. What clamor

we made in the birthing. What hiss and rumble
at the splitting, at the horns and beard,
at the glottal bleat. What bridges our back.

What strong neck, what bright eye. What menagerie
are we. What we've made of ourselves.

--from "Love Poem: Chimera"

Across this remarkable first book are encounters with animals, legendary beasts, and mythological monsters--half human and half something else. Donika Kelly's Bestiary is a catalogue of creatures--from the whale and ostrich to the pegasus and chimera to the centaur and griffin. Among them too are poems of love, self-discovery, and travel, from "Out West" to "Back East." Lurking in the middle of this powerful and multifaceted collection is a wrenching sequence that wonders just who or what is the real monster inside this life of survival and reflection. Selected and with an introduction by the National Book Award winner Nikky Finney, Bestiary questions what makes us human, what makes us whole.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Donika Kelly's fierce debut collection, longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award and winner of the 2015 Cave Canem Poetry Prize

I thought myself lion and serpent. Thought
myself body enough for two, for we.
Found comfort in never being lonely.

What burst from my back, from my bones, what lived
along the ridge from crown to crown, from mane
to forked tongue beneath the skin. What clamor

we made in the birthing. What hiss and rumble
at the splitting, at the horns and beard,
at the glottal bleat. What bridges our back.

What strong neck, what bright eye. What menagerie
are we. What we've made of ourselves.

--from "Love Poem: Chimera"

Across this remarkable first book are encounters with animals, legendary beasts, and mythological monsters--half human and half something else. Donika Kelly's Bestiary is a catalogue of creatures--from the whale and ostrich to the pegasus and chimera to the centaur and griffin. Among them too are poems of love, self-discovery, and travel, from "Out West" to "Back East." Lurking in the middle of this powerful and multifaceted collection is a wrenching sequence that wonders just who or what is the real monster inside this life of survival and reflection. Selected and with an introduction by the National Book Award winner Nikky Finney, Bestiary questions what makes us human, what makes us whole.

More books from Graywolf Press

Cover of the book On Sal Mal Lane by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book The Complete History of New Mexico by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Cities I've Never Lived In by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Byzantium by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book The Art of Daring by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Borders by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Red Plenty by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Madonna on Her Back by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book The Convert by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book The Gnome Stories by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Otherwise Known as the Human Condition by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Incarnadine by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book May Day by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Don't Call Us Dead by Donika Kelly
Cover of the book Spring by Donika Kelly
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy