Kay Ryan's poems are short, often no loner than then length of a page, and often at first glance they are deceptively simple. The cover such topics as the morning, and island for crustaceans, or time. But despite the seeming simplicity these poems weigh heavy in the mind. They linger. I kept re-reading each poem, hoping to get to the secret meaning that I suspected hid just beneath the surface of the words.

Her poetry is lyrical and playful. Rhyme follows no specific pattern, but seems to be thrown in for the pure pleasure of the sound. She gently tease the reader, even when dealing with the serious. A lovely collection of poetry that I will continue to go to again and again. ( )

Our new Poet Laureate Kay Ryan describes her short poems as "snack-size", and on the one hand, she's right--her poems are so short they're almost haiku. But don't let their size deceive you; these poems are anything but snacks. Take as an example her poem entitled "Hope", there's nothing snack-like about the content of that particular poem! And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

All of Ryan's poems tap into deceptively simple truths; honest morsels to which your first thought is to shrug and think well of course that's true, but which upon further reflection leave you agog, mouth hanging open in amazement at the shades of complexity to be found in one simple truth. "Mirage Oases" is a good example of this, and is just one of many of Kay Ryan's poems that leave me open-mouthed.

I have to admit that I was surprised to find myself falling in love with Kay Ryan's poetry. There are very few contemporary poets to whom I feel drawn. It was only after hearing an interview with Ryan on NPR's On Point that I felt compelled to pick up one of her books. Ryan reads a few of her poems during the course of her show, and after hearing her read the first poem I was hooked. Her voice is rich and hypnotic, giving context to each poem with mere sound, no back-story or explanation was ever necessary.

Once I started to spend some quality time with Ryan's poetry, it seemed only natural that she would become one of my favorites. Ryan's poetry puts me somewhat in mind of Emily Dickinson, another singer of deceptively simple songs with an endless well of truth and meaning.

I'm glad to have Kay Ryan added to the roster of United States Poets Laureate, and not just because she's a native of California. (A state that--as a native Californian myself--I feel is grossly under represented.) I like that her poetry is unpretentious. It is (to use an over-used word) accessible. I don't feel that her poems are pushy, or require that I cup my chin and look skyward. But at the same time, Ryan asks that her readers do put sincere thought into age-old assumptions

When it comes to Kay Ryan's poetry, I'm a willing victim, held spellbound by the cadence of her lines, the honest simplicity of her themes, and perhaps a little by the decidedly un-intimidating length of the poems; each one of which seems to say, "Oh what's the harm in reading just one more?" She is a rare poet who makes us see more by showing us less. ( )

Beautifully spare and deeply-felt lyric poems. Kay Ryan is pure genius. It's amazing to see how much can be done in a half-page poem. The short poems with short lines don't feel compressed, they just feel right. I admire the poet. ( )