The New Economy by Gabrielle Calvocoressi

The New Economy by Gabrielle Calvocoressi is one of my favorite books of poetry I’ve read this year. I’m so glad to be ending the year with its pages. The poems are delightful and human, tender. Several of the poems are written about the best thing that happened to the speaker that day—small moments of joy. But these are not naive poems. They see the world as it is with unhappiness, disgruntledness, illness, death, self-hatred. But the poems do the best work of poetry and art in actively working against these forces. They are immediate and earnest. You are taken in by the poet as a trusted and valued friend. The openness feels like you’re sharing and communing with an old friend. Buy here.

From “Hammond B-3 Organ Cistern”

The days I don’t want to kill myself

are extraordinary. Deep bass. All the people

in the streets waiting for their high fives

and leaping, I mean leaping

when they see me. I am the sun-filled

god of love. Or at least an optimistic

undersecretary. There should be a word for it.

The days you wake up and do not want

to slit your throat. Money in the bank. . .

From “Miss you. Would like to take a walk with you.”

Do not care if you arrive in just your skeleton.

Would love to take a walk with you. Miss you.

Would love to make you shrimp saganaki.

Like you used to make me when you were alive.

Love to feed you. Sit over steaming

bowls of pilaf. Little roasted tomatoes

covered in pepper and nutmeg. Miss you.

Would love to walk to the post office with you.

Bring the ghost dog. We’ll walk past the waterfall

and you can tell me about the after. . . .

From “Every Day but Sunday”

The best thing about the day

was talking about baseball.

Thinking about baseball.

Getting the tickets and

deciding poems matter

but also so does baseball.

Meetings tomorrow

can just take a powder. All

day I imagined the green

of the outfield, the hat I’ll get

since it will be 43 degrees

at 2 p.m. in Boston . . .