Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems

Billy Collins’ poetry collection "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems" is a book for the average everyday reader or a reader who is new to poetry. Unlike poetry that is heavy in its meaning, metaphors, or use of older English such as poetry by William Shakespeare, John Milton, or Robert Frost, Collins creates poetry that is more accessible to the modern reader by making his poetry more approachable, especially if the reader is new to poetry. The different ways his poetry is more approachable is through his readability, language usage, relatable content, and his use of imagery. Readability Collins poetry is humorous, light, and insightful allowing an inexperienced reader to easily read through his poetry while also giving substance to the more devout poetry reader. He is able to gently guide the reader through a poem allowing the reader to smile, to get anxious, or to laugh without always having to look for a deeper meaning, as the surface of the poem is just as telling as the deeper meaning. Language Use His modern language is relatable to everyone in the modern age giving a feeling of inclusiveness to his poetry. New readers will be able to laugh with Collins in his poem “Another Reason Why I Don’t Keep a Gun in the House”, while more experienced readers will enjoy other poems such as the poem “Litany”. Relatable Most of the poems within this collection have relatable content. There are multiple poems relating to school settings, and usually end up as parodies that give passing commentary as well as entertainment to this theme. If you are a history buff, then Billy Collins poems are for you as well, as many of his poems make comments on historical events. Overall, this collection has a variety of poems that allow almost all readers to connect with at least one poem. Imagery Another advantage of reading Collins’ poetry is his use of imagery. The reader does not need to struggle to understand the content because of the simplicity of the language he uses, and the ability to create an image in the reader’s mind. Collins’ poetry is good at creating an image in the reader’s head through the words he chooses to use. Billy Collins’ "Sailing Alone Around the Room: New and Selected Poems" will enhance your mind and life, while giving a new perspective on modern culture.

The first poem I read of Billy Collins' was "Forgetfulness". I am glad it is in this collection because it so well epitomizes the everyday nature of his poems, the way he speaks to us as if we were just visiting and he is describing some incident in his life, or expounding on something that matters to him. I could see him in the student lounge, in the leather chair next to the Rodin, at our local Dry Dock Brewery or at a coffee shop. He would be the one we would all gather around. I am the one, however, who posted that his reading style doesn't do justice to his writing. In retrospect, maybe his low key reading is nuanced to go with his poems. Now, that I have been trying to write poems, when I read his poems, I find myself wanting to mimic his writing style. One of the things I notice is that he doesn't hurry things, he doesn't summarize. I feel rushed in my writing, like I'm giving an acceptance speech at the Oscars and someone is standing off camera signaling me to wrap it up. Billy, though, for example, in "Fishing on the Susquehanna in July" takes 13 stanzas to describe how the closest he ever came to fishing on the Susquehanna was seeing a painting in a museum, in Philadelphia, of someone in a little boat fishing on the Susquehanna. These extra lines, though, give the poem its depth and reality and the well drawn images then stay with you. Billy Collins then goes deeper and adds themes to his basic subject matter. If Norman Rockwell had painted like Billy writes the pictures would not only have been warm slices of Americana, they would have contained poignant bits of reality such as maybe a woman looking bored at Thanksgiving Dinner or quarreling with whomever was seated by her. I like how he shares with us as if we were his close friends. For example, in "The Three Wishes" he goes through the first several stanzas showing how the foolish man and wife wasted the wishes they were granted. The man, hungry from work, wishes for sausages which angers his wife who then wishes the pan to stick to his nose. Collins discusses the moral of the story, the foolishness of the couple and what they could have had. Then, he ends, in an almost covert whisper by telling us that this story always makes him hungry for sausages. And of course he makes it all look so easy. Another favorite of mine is "Dharma" about his dog who "If only she did not shove the cat aside/every morning/and eat all his food/what a model of self-containment she would be". His use of line breaks and enjambment set the pace and place emphasis where he wants it. His techniques are subtle such as his use of consonance in this poem with brown coat, blue collar, steady breathing. He uses assonance too in this poem, earthly, eager, ears. It's neat that he became Poet Laureate, that he was recognized for what he offers. This collection of his is a great book, for yourself or as a gift for a dear friend.

It is evident when you read Billy Collins' "Sailing Alone Around the Room" that he has mastered the English language. There is a control over his work like that of a man over his well trained dog. Every word is finely crafted to serve a purpose. The finest examples of these can be found in the earlier works of the collection. From "The Apple That Astonished Paris" the selected poem "Earthling", page 11, is a wonderful example of his ability to create a poem that is both intelligent and accessible. The poem reminds us of our human habits, but also reminds us of our fragility as a species as we are "a respectful distance from the sun". The poem alludes to the greater cosmic what if? It is also humbling in a very subtle manner. There is a distinct humor laced with honesty that can be found in his poetry as well. He is, when he is at his best, unabashedly a man. From "The Art Of Drowning", his poem "Pinup", page 74, is a saucy romp through a calendar while waiting for his car to be repaired at the shop, to his poem "Victoria's Secret", page 109, selected from "Picnic, Lightning", which gives a detailed account of a "thumb wetting" flip through a lingerie catalog. The reader is given a true to life account and a laugh out loud journey into the human experience. There is at the height of this male perspective the riotous poem "Taking Off Emily Dickinson's Cloths", page 119, also from "Picnic, Lightning". It is a revealing poem in its ability to undress Dickinson's poetry through the humorous undressing of the poet herself. Collins wit is spectacular as he comments on "sailing toward the iceberg of her nakedness" and "how there were sudden dashes / whenever we spoke". Anyone who has read Dickinson will immediately appreciate his gentle poke at the trade mark dashes. Unfortunately, I found most of the newer poems to be lacking in the same zest as his earlier poems. They are well crafted though, and I especially enjoyed "Splitting Wood", page 123. "Splitting Wood" is deeply simplistic in form, but delivers its purpose with an elegance that far outweighs the other nineteen newer poems. This poem achieves what I believe every poem aspires to and that is, it speaks to the generations; past, present and future. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading because there is something for everyone within his pages.

The US Library of Congress has had 'Poet Laureate Consultants' since 1986, supplanting the older position of 'Consultant' which had existed since 1937, a New Deal legacy. Quite a few of America's finest poets have been thus honored -- Robert Lowell, William Carlos Williams, Randall Jarrell, Robert Frost -- though several equally great have been neglected and, as one might expect, a number of Laureates might be generously described as "inoffensive." Billy Collins was America's Poet Laureate in 2001-2003. His first book, The Apple That Astonished Paris, was published in 1988. It's taken twenty years for the Poet and this humble reader to find each other! Since I'm not the least literate kid in the class, that says an unfortunate mouthful about the state of poetry in the United States. It's fair to say, I think, that Collins is a deliberately 'minor' poet, who works hard NOT to transcend that modest stature. He preserves a Quakerly plainness of language and a Shakeresque simplicity of form. He takes few risks. He eschews profound and painful epiphanies like a child avoids brussel sprouts. He's enormously popular, for a poet, and well-rewarded in book sales. All that said, to my surprise, I find I like his work a lot! He may be minor, but he's in my minor key. His daily walks in the garden sound a lot like mine. "Sailing Alone Around the Room" is a slim volume of small poems - none of Collins's poems are large - selected from his earlier four books together with twenty new poems as of 2002. It's not such a good idea to try to read Collins intensively, poem after poem. His limitations are exposed that way, and the quirky pleasure of his accessibility fades. But if you read a couple at a time, savoring their honest neighborliness, you'll discover that you LIKE Billy Collins's poetry even though you can't particularly remember any lines of it. Here's a typical Collins poem: WALKING ACROSS THE ATLANTIC I wait for the holiday crowd to clear the beach before stepping on to the first wave. Soon I am walking across the Atlantic thinking about Spain, checking for whales, waterspouts. I feel the water holding up my shifting weight. Tonight I will sleep on its rocking surface. But for now I try to imagine what this must look like to the fish below, the bottoms of my feet appearing, disappearing. Okay, okay, it's almost disappearingly simple, though a grad student could easily make a metaphysical imagism out of it. It's not a poem of the sublimity of Whitman's "Live Oak in Louisiana" or "Noiseless Patient Spider." It's closer, really, to the poetry of the Chinese seers for which Collins expresses admiration. It is a pebble dropped in a quiet pond for the pleasure of watching the ripples, or the fleeting tweet of a song sparrow heard while sweeping the patio in your own back yard.

This is a wonderful book of poems. The subjects are so diverse and the titles of the poems are unique. There are several titles that caught my eye such as The Death of the Hat, Shoveling Snow With Buddha, My Best Cigarette, Victoria's Secret, and Questions about Angels. One of the most descriptive and imaginative poems in the book is Victoria's Secret. He conjures up a variety of emotions in this poem by looking at the pictures and facial expressions of the models in the catalog. I enjoy the poem The Death of A Hat, because it talks about an ordinary object and the symbolism that was formally attached to it. According to this poem, a hat symbolized a sense of identity and loyalty. My Best Cigarette is a great poem along the same logic as death of a hat. A cigarette to Billy Collins was like a catalyst in the writing process. It was the best way to relax for him. One of the most personal poems in this book is the Iron Bridge. Collins remembers his mother who recently has died and compares her to a bridge that is as old as her. He is trying to come to terms with his loss and move on with his life in this beautiful poem. I love the poems in this book with a subtle message. One poem in particular is Advice to Writers. In this poem, Collins says that good writing is polished writing. Therefore, the writing process should be deliberate and never rushed. I loved the poem Aristole. It has so many creative metaphors about the cycle of life contained in the poem. Collins compares the beginning of life to a fish wriggling onto land. He also compares the beginning of life to a first move in a chess game. In the same poem, he compares the middle of life like cities filled with people with a million schemes and looks. Finally, Collins compares the end of life to the last elephant in a parade. I found all the metaphors in this poem to be so insightful. Billy Collins has several poems about animals in this book. He associates different animals with several human feelings. He writes about the plight of tortured cows in the poem Afternoon with Irish Cows. He ponders the reason for the blindness of mice which is an allusion to the nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice. He writes about how a dog can feel so alone and unwanted in the poem To A Stranger Born in Some Distant Country Hundreds of Years From Now. Some of Billy Collins poems are obviously composed just by observing everyday life. A good example of this is poem The Waitress. In this poem, he writes about all the people who have waited on him in his life. Collins imagines how liberating it must feel for waitresses to be free of their duties in a wonderful metaphor. He writes about how the movies can help someone escape the pressures of everyday life. Sailing Alone Around the Room is an excellent book. Reading it has inspired me to continue writing my own poetry.

An interesting blend of contemporary poetry evoking images of sunsets, skin removal and emotions, Billy Collin's "Sailing Alone Around the Room" is filled with fascinating words and phrases. Collin's poetry has no particular format but every poem sparks the reader's curiosity with vivid images in the pages such as within the first section "The Apple That Astonished Paris". One such poem that I found particularly interesting was that of "Books" because of the imagery he used and how he combined books in different ways within his stanzas. "I can hear the library humming in the night, a choir of authors murmuring inside their books along the unlit, alphabetical shelves" is one such way he made books, almost living because the reader can hear the authors' of all the books in the library actually reading the words from their own books. He also continued his strong attention grabbing phrases in "Questions About Angels", especially in "Purity". Reading how the subject removes his flesh, organs and penis to be completely pure and is therefore able to write about death and life is an extremely powerful image and quite literally caused me to reread the words because I had never read any poetry that was so descriptive. "New Poems" is the last section of the book and "The Waitress" is my particular favorite. I like how he turns the simple things the waitress is doing into all the waiters and waitresses he has ever known. "To see if everything is OK to fill my glass with wine, turning away then circling back to my table until she is every waitress who has ever served me, and every waiter, too, young and old, the eager and the sleepy ones alike." He continues with a dance scene and paying the bills and an empty street. Billy Collin's has a very unique way of writing and his poetry varies not just in format but themes and subject matter and the book, in my opinion, is a good collection of contemporary and exciting poetry that will make the readers reread, if not out of awe then pure enjoyment.

What can I say? I've loved Billy Collins's poetry for many years now. He is wise and whimsical. Funny and profound. His poems can be deceptively simple. You don't have to be a poetry lover to love his work. I was a bit disappointed that the book wasn't thicker, but poems don't take up much room on a page so many poems can fit into a slim volume. I found old favorites and new favorites. You can't put a price on art but this book is well worth its cost. for me, this book is a treasure. Mr. Collins definitely deserves the honor of being Poet Laureate of the United States for two years. Needless to say, I highly recommend this collection.

Billy Collins is the real deal. A world class poet for the times. This compilation includes some hard to find earlier pieces. The seller was excellent! Item was even better than stated. Indistinguishable from new! It was packed with care, wrapped and boxed! And arrived earlier than expected! Highly recommended It doesn’t get any better!

A deft and wry touch

～桂冠詩人、ビリー・コリンズの詩集から精選したアンソロジー。 表題からしてユーモラスだが、中味もなかなか楽しい。 すこし英語を勉強した人なら辞書をひかないで読めると思う。しかし、大きな辞書で語源の語義にまでさかのぼってみると、これらの作品がなかなか一筋なわではいかないことに気づく。 知性と幅広い教養（その中には東洋思想もある）に基づ～～いた滑稽味であり、ファンタジーなのだ。 私が気に入ったものを一つ紹介する。表題は、Another Reason Why I Don't Keep a Gun in the House 隣家の住人が出かけると決まって、そこの飼い犬がうるさく吠えはじめる。それに対抗して詩人がとった行動と結果が奇想天外。本のタイトルになっている詩も視点が面白い。 興味を持たれたら一読をお薦めする。～

About a hundred poems from a popular US master ,representative of his wry style,in familiar short stanzas,quatrains selected from four anthologies from the last decade of the 20the Century. A good introduction to this Post Laureate,it includes his wry observation on poetry critiques ',Intoduction to Poetry'.,which will ring bells to those like me,who were forced to study poetry purely with a view to passing exams.The only downside being the usual problem with modern poetry books,the lack of notes to aid the readers understanding of what are often eclectic themes.

Billy Collins is wonderful for conjuring up images and nostalgic situations. His poetry is peaceful and calming....and often amusing. Buy any of his books and you'll want to read others. This one is particularly good as a starter because it includes a selection of his poems from various books of his. One condition - I wouldn't recommend him for French readers whose English isn't fluent.......

See the review of "The Rain in Portugal"