The Daily Mirror: A Journal in Poetry
Billy Collins Catullus said never a day without a line, but David Lehman has raised the stakes to a poem a day. The result isThe Daily Mirror,a lively calendar of the life of a poet -- daily improvisations that are entertaining, touching, and always bubbling with the fizz of contemporary life.James TateThe Daily Mirroris a spirited, poetic romp through the days -- sexy, energetic, jazzy, and just plain fun. Lehman has made this "daily poem" idea very much his own. This book is bursting with life. It's an irresistible force.Yusef KomunyakaaThe Daily Mirrorreads like a sped-up meditation on the elemental stuff that we're made of: in this honed matrix of seeing, what's commonplace becomes the focus of extraordinary glimpses when these everyday images are juxtaposed into a mental geography made engaging by gazing into the daily mirror.Carolyn Kizer I admit to being wildly envious of David Lehman's book. Imagine! A poem a day, and really good, charming, personal poems, too! Only the late William Stafford even came close to this accomplishment. Every place and person Lehman mentions is given a boost toward literary immortality.Mark Strand I can think of no book of poems written in recent years that is nearly so entertaining asThe Daily Mirror.It is the work of a quick mind unflustered by the Big Apple. Its wit is dazzling, its charm constant, its immediacy refreshing. It is, quite simply, a terrific read.