Lovesick: Poems

Recollection, ennui and the close description of the everyday have long characterized Stern's poetry. But having passed the age of 60, Stern seems to be trying to capture a wider sweep of emotions and ideas. While the poems in this collection continue to examine life in terms of ""All that wonderful pity,/ all that wonderful bliss,'' they also seem to express a stronger note of finality than those in earlier collections. This feeling is best demonstrated in ``Bela,'' in which he writes of Bartok's last days. Recalling a passage from the composer's late work, Stern observes ``there is a noteI hear it/ of odd regret for a life not lived enough,/ everyone knows that sound, for me it's remorse,/ and there is a note of crazy satisfaction,/ this I love, of the life he would not change/ no matter whatno other animal/ could have such pleasure.'' Stern's readers are likely to come away from Lovesick with a similar feeling. (August)