Ocean of Clouds
Poems
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Ocean of Clouds
Narrated by:
Garrett Hongo
Buy Now for $12.99
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Narrated by:
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Garrett Hongo
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By:
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Garrett Hongo
About this listen
In a surpassingly beautiful collection of poems, with his characteristic long-lined, rolling music, Hongo is alert to the possibilities of individual moments of perception and grace in the landscapes of his life, whether waiting for a ferry in Balboa after a writing workshop (“An oil slick from a yacht . . . / Spread rainbows on the water, an aleph / curving toward us”) or hanging out and playing LPs with the late, great poet Michael Harper, or watching his daughter in the sun with a halo of messy twelve-year-old’s hair, or listening to the sea, which speaks to him in so many places: at the Wai‘ōpae Tidepools, at Cassis, at Divi Bay in Saint Martin, where, he tells us, “I thought of writing to the soul of Nâzim Hikmet, / saying loving a woman was like writing a book— / . . . it is love’s body on which you write a page of kisses . . .”
These poems of cloudy moons and sandstone cliffsides, the black glass of lava shattered into sands, waves surging, and stories of a poet’s gratitude for the journey he has made, come together to make a paean against forgetting.
Critic Reviews
One of Library Journal’s Titles to Watch
“Philosophical reflections on childhood, landscape, music, and literature unfurl throughout this expansive, erudite collection, which journeys from Hawai’i to Los Angeles to the coast of France and beyond, bearing witness to what of life is ephemeral and alike to what endures.” —The New Yorker
“Hongo writes rolling, surging poems that shade into the musical, and his latest collection is no exception. . . . From Hawaii to France to the Caribbean, he mimics the rhythms of peaceful and rugged coastlines shaped by the seas. But he also finds inspiration in his commute, his record player, and his daughter’s hair, committing each to paper and to memory. He is a master of pulling from the ordinary unexpected, specific imagery.” —Alta
“Hongo knows himself well: where he’s been and what he finds joyful. He dives deep . . . [and] achieves 'a real thing' for the reader. It’s this sense of generosity, confidence, and imagery that makes each poem sing.” —International Examiner
“Poet, memoirist, and audiophile at-large Hongo extracts glossy memories from the sands of time in this collection of ruminative verse. The slow pace of Hongo's elongated lyrics luxuriates in fine details of interior domesticity. . . . Equal parts clear-eyed retrospective and passionate narration, Hongo's latest provides notation on a storied and euphonious career” —Booklist
“Philosophical reflections on childhood, landscape, music, and literature unfurl throughout this expansive, erudite collection, which journeys from Hawai’i to Los Angeles to the coast of France and beyond, bearing witness to what of life is ephemeral and alike to what endures.” —The New Yorker
“Hongo writes rolling, surging poems that shade into the musical, and his latest collection is no exception. . . . From Hawaii to France to the Caribbean, he mimics the rhythms of peaceful and rugged coastlines shaped by the seas. But he also finds inspiration in his commute, his record player, and his daughter’s hair, committing each to paper and to memory. He is a master of pulling from the ordinary unexpected, specific imagery.” —Alta
“Hongo knows himself well: where he’s been and what he finds joyful. He dives deep . . . [and] achieves 'a real thing' for the reader. It’s this sense of generosity, confidence, and imagery that makes each poem sing.” —International Examiner
“Poet, memoirist, and audiophile at-large Hongo extracts glossy memories from the sands of time in this collection of ruminative verse. The slow pace of Hongo's elongated lyrics luxuriates in fine details of interior domesticity. . . . Equal parts clear-eyed retrospective and passionate narration, Hongo's latest provides notation on a storied and euphonious career” —Booklist
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