Norman Dubie

The Quotations of Bone

Norman Dubie

"Norman Dubie is one of our premier poets."—The New York Times "Dubie's poems are unmatched in their incandescent imaginings, gorgeous language, and fearless tracking of the inexorably turning wheel of existence."—Booklist "Dubie [is] one of the most powerful and influential American poets."—The Washington Post In his twenty-ninth collection of poems, Norman Dubie returns to a rich, color-soaked vision of the world. Strangeness becomes a parable for compassion, each poem leading the reader to an uncommon way of understanding human capacities. In the futuristic sphere of The Quotation of Bone, the mind wanders meditatively into an imaginative and uncontainable history. The Quotations of Bone The meal of bone was a soured milk—just the heads of giant elkin a dark circle looking downon a wooden bowl of soda crackersand pork. One large kniferesting in the meatof a woodsman's calloused hand.He grins at his womanwho is slowly poisoning himwith the stringy resins of morning glory.A tasteless turpentine with pink pig.The speeches of boneare matrimonial in early autumn—by January there's a froth of bloodat a nostril.He thinks a long icicle is buried in his ear.She thinks D. H. Lawrence was a grim buccaneer.I hate most men. Adore the few named Lou.One small addendum:the dead elk are grinning too. Norman Dubie is a Regents professor at Arizona State University. He lives in Tempe, Arizona.