Brief Homage to Pluto and Other Poems

The skillfully translated first English-language edition of Pusterla’s work spans landscapes, memories, dreams, wars, and the ordinariness of daily life, energetically rendering a voice of striking attention, one willing to notice near-constant juxtapositions: “Even in summer,/ there’s always that puddle.” Reminiscing on the aging lives of Pusterla’s former students, “Students” concludes with a final image of the poet: “Then there’s me,/ carrying cucumbers and a roll of TP.” Pusterla’s voice is a kindly light in the midst of darkness, taking note of peculiarities and humor, where “All it takes is a break in the clouds to change everything, a little light to color the world.” Despite their proximity to violence and loss (“For a Fallen Worker” describes the “outline/ of an angel in freefall, a sudden jet/ of blood to wash from the Babylonian/ storefronts”), these poems “experiment with hope” honestly and carefully, accumulating the details that make up each life. “Admit it,” one piece insists, again and again, before ending: “smile.” Pusterla’s poetry reminds readers of the form’s purpose and power, how it makes the world—when noticed fully—something worth living for. (Apr.)