Dwelling Song

As a hummingbird beats its wings so that it might be still to feed on a flower the poet concludes, "The equation keeps balancing out, and / I'm drawn to how it does not settle." Aware of the difficulty of loving the world while feeding upon it, the poems ofDwelling Songhope vision is levity as they press language to make sight and song. This writing is a form of mimicry yet an act of dangerous flight. Whether from the voice of a hunter, shepherd, farmer, or bugle-blowing boy on a city street, the song recognizes that moving forward necessitates turning one's back.

Sally Keith attended the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. Her first book, Design, won the Colorado Prize for Poetry in 2000.