First published 2012
This collection reveals how trampolines become launching pads for dark revelations, how bird-tables transform into stages for suburban dramas, and how simple lightbulbs illuminate hidden abysses. Woodward compresses entire science-fiction universes into brief verses, crafts peculiar biographical sketches of forgotten figures, and catalogs the bizarre proclamations of dead dictators. The poet takes familiar domestic scenes and twists them until readers can never see these objects the same way again. Yet the collection moves beyond household surrealism into unexplored emotional terrain. Woodward turns his attention to the natural world and human connections, discovering tenderness alongside his characteristic dark humor. The voice that once found menace in kitchen appliances now explores relationships with surprising gentleness. These poems range from the microscopic details of daily life to sweeping considerations of love and nature, marking a significant expansion in Woodward's artistic territory.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, poetry, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, twist-on-the-familiar
Period: 21st-Century
77 pages · Paperback · Picador