The Ghost Forest

In her contemplative 11th collection, Hahn (Foreign Bodies) offers a sustained meditation on poetic process. Continuing her lifelong devotion to formal experimentation, Hahn works within traditional Western forms (pantoum, villanelle, sestina) as well as newer forms, such as the golden shovel. Japanese forms (zuihitsu, tanka) draw inspiration from sources as divergent as Kaga no Chiyo, Adrienne Rich, Richard Wright, and the New York Times. In the book’s intertwining of present and past, a ghost theme emerges through “A grove of memory. A marsh of forms.” After all, Hahn writes, “Aren’t allusions just ghosts?” Reflecting on her early work, she finds that she has unwittingly become an influence on younger poets: “I thought my Narrow Road would be my exploration, not models for others to follow”; “I wish/ I could just be counted like a bee/ darting then resting in the dark for renewal.” The mature poet has a new set of intentions: “More than ever—I wish to draw the body back in. I wish for a drawer of spondees.” An affectionate and candid letter from a writer to her readers, this is sure to especially delight aspiring poets. (Oct.)