Time Remaining: Poems

An exuberant collection celebrating the body and the soul of language, wringing delights and amazements out of the latter years of life.

In his seventh decade and seventh full length collection, poet James P. Lenfestey dazzles with a suite of odes to parts of the bodyheart, belly, ankle, teeth, ears, and moreand astonishment at the powers of language: the sound of n, our ancient alphabet, the terror of publishing. Known for his exuberant Chinese-style lyrics, now inspired by Nerudas cascading Elemental Odes, Lenfestey praises Hewlett and Packard, Bruce Springsteen, the language of crow, fruit flies, and cabbages while recalling the forgiveness of the Catbird and random acts of kindness, all with his superb ear for sound, rhythm, and leaping figurative language.

Rhythmic, jovial, and eminently approachable, this collection embraces the Cetacean mind and the fearless left hand. Here, Lenfesty writes love songs to the world as it really is: bizarro, curious, inelegant, unclean, / unfaithful, filled with delight.