Upstairs in the Garden: Poems Selected and New, 1968-1988

In this collection of new and previously published poetry by Ms. editor Morgan ( Depth Perception ), the development of her artistry is everywhere evident. Work from her early feminist days is filled with rage at the powerlessness of women; angry and ironic, these compelling poems alternately infuriate and fascinate. ``Monster'' and ``Quotations from Charwoman Me'' reveal the suffocating oppression of conventional female roles; the frustration born of this can spit forth with venom in sometimes rambling diatribes. But as the pages turn, a new universality of concern and sureness of voice take hold, and we find the lovely ``Lithographers'' and ``The Lost Season,'' as well as the wise observations of ``Giving Up the Ghost'' and the title poem. Though in the quietude of her mature work one occasionally misses the passion of the poet's earlier style, lyricism and fresh technical discoveries proclaim new accomplishment in a ``lavish larkspur song . . . with a passion / for daily use.'' (July)