31 Letters and 13 Dreams: PoemsRichard Hugo, whom Carolyn Kizer has called” one of the most passionate, energetic, and honest poets living,” here offers an extraordinary collection of new poems, each one a “letter” or a “dream.” Both letters and dreams are special manifestations of alone-ness; Hugo’s special senses of alone-ness, of places, and of other people are the forces behind his distinctively American and increasingly authoritative poetic voice. Each letter is written from a specific place that Hugo has made his own (a “triggering town,” as he has called it elsewhere) to a friend, a fellow poet, an old love. We read over the poet’s shoulder as the town triggers the imagination, the friendship is re-opened, the poet’s selfhood is explored and illuminated. The “dreams” turn up unexpectedly (as dreams do) among the letters; their haunting images give further depth to the poet’s exploration. Are we overhearing them? Who is the “you” that dreams? |
Contents
Letter to Kizer from Seattle | 3 |
Letter to Bellfrom Missoula | 5 |
Letter to Sister Madeline from Iowa City | 6 |
In Your Fugitive Dream | 8 |
Letter to Simic from Boulder | 9 |
Letter to Matthews from Barton Street Flats | 11 |
In Your War Dream | 13 |
Letter to Ammons from Maratea | 14 |
Letter to Gale from Ovando | 41 |
Letter to Welch from Browning | 42 |
In Your Racing Dream | 44 |
Letter to Snyder from Montana | 45 |
Letter to Scanlon from Whitehall | 46 |
Letter to Wright from Gooseprairie | 48 |
In Your Wild Dream | 49 |
Letter to Haislip from Hot Springs | 50 |
Letter to Hanson from Miami | 16 |
In Your Bad Dream | 18 |
Letter to Annick from Boulder | 19 |
Letter to Mantsch from Havre | 21 |
In Your Young Dream | 23 |
Letter to Reed from Lolo | 24 |
Letter to Peterson from the Pike Place Market | 26 |
Letter to Stafford from Polson | 27 |
In Your Small Dream | 29 |
Letter to Hill from St Ignatius | 30 |
Letter to Wagoner from Port Townsend | 32 |
Letter to Bly from La Push | 34 |
In Your Blue Dream | 35 |
Letter to Libbey from St Regis | 36 |
Letter to Logan from Milltown | 38 |
In Your Hot Dream | 40 |
Letter to Mayo from Missoula | 52 |
Letter to Levertov from Butte | 54 |
In Your Dream on the Eve of Success | 56 |
Letter to Kathy from Wisdom | 57 |
Letter to Goldbarth from Big Fork | 59 |
In Your Big Dream | 61 |
Letter to Birch from Deer Lodge | 62 |
Letter to Oberg from Pony | 63 |
Letter to Blessing from Missoula | 64 |
In Your Dream after Falling in Love | 66 |
Letter to Gildner from Wallace | 67 |
Note to R H from Strongsville | 69 |
In Your Good Dream | 71 |
Back Cover | 73 |
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Common terms and phrases
31 Letters Benny Goodman Big Fork birds blue bomb Buss cafe called climb clouds Coeur d’Alene cold comes cops damn dance Dear Bill Deer Lodge Dick Dream drinking drunk feel fights filled final finally find fine fires first fish fishing five flame Flathead floor flowers fly forever girl gone grass gray green hair hate he’s hope horses Indian inside John Wayne Kapowsin Kathy killed lake laughing leave live Lolo look lovers matter Missoula Dear monster Montana morning motel mountains move never Pike Place Market poet Rainbow Lake remember Richard Hugo roar Roethke seemed snow sobbing streets Strongsville Tavern tears tell There’s things town trout trying walk warm watch wheat White Center who’s wind woman women writing poems wrong yell you’re young