A Sum of Destructions: Poems

Weiss's (A Slow Fuse) 13th book of poetry, adjective-rich, marks a milestone. The first four sections catch him in mid-thought, revealing a man flanked by a prolix, interior imagination on the one hand, and on the other by the stinging externality of the objective world. Observing the fracturedness of that world, Weiss waxes nostalgic and orders his thoughts into a fragile and gleaming cohesion of instants. Championing an assertion of Wallace Stevens, in ``Satisfied'' he asks: ``Why should it ever be satisfied,/ the mind?... However many thoughts we entertain,/ not all together can account/ for the world or the rootedness/ of this yearning to be satisfied.'' Yet Weiss's yearning gives satisfaction. This theme unfolds brilliantly in the book's final portion, a poem entitled ``The Garden Beyond'' written as a monologue by Eve. Hurt by her exclusion from Adam's intimacy with God, yet still reverent, Eve finds fault with Adam and questions why he discourages her ``appetite for change.'' His obedience to God annoys her. Certain that her path is God-inspired, she takes up with the serpent, who attests to a garden beyond. Weiss persuades us that her decision to taste the fruit is defensible. (Oct.)