The Best American Poetry 1994

Some of the strong poems in Lehman's always worthwhile annual anthology series include Jorie Graham's ``In the Hotel,'' Mark Doty's ``Difference,'' Lyn Hejinian's ``The Polar Circle,'' J.D. McClatchy's ``Found Parable'' and W.D. Snodgrass's ``Snow Songs.'' The Graham, for instance, is a painstaking and courageous exploration of emptiness revealed as fully occupied; the writer's brilliance lies not only in her descriptive, imaginative accuracy in envisioning this, but also in a sort of investigative patience that equips her to ``report'' on absence in breathtaking detail. Her achievement seems pioneering. Likewise, Hejinian writes like an honest high-roller, seeking out ``the farthest extent of a scene,'' though in more abstract terms than Graham's. The matchless musicality of Snodgrass, and a personal encyclopedia of imagery (``God's bobbin mills''; ``the horizon, a maternal flour sifter'') summon up a winter's snow, while McClatchy's earnest intellectual wit writes an essay as a poem. Virtuosity and range buoy the book. And fortunately, Lehman uses the opportunity of his introduction to make critical suggestions about the state of poetry and poetry criticism. As usual, this yearly compendium is not to be missed. (Sept.)