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casparb's review
small reread my memory of was getting motheaten & can confirm still very all lovely , he's such a natural poet of sentiment I think jack gets around rather than confronts problem of irony. hm. anyway was thinking w this read especially about how nearly every pome in Happiness features or references some kind of biological/organic 'inside', things are always inside others and aware of it, from an awareness of the feeling of one's socks on one's feet to the gush of gasoline in the pump. I like that
sloatsj's review
5.0
It’s been a long time since I enjoyed a poetry book so much. I enjoyed the fresh voice and imagination. I loved Underwood’s metaphors and similes, sometimes in the same sentence! Such as
Sometimes your sadness is a yacht
huge, white and expensive, like an anvil
dropped from heaven: how will we get onboard
up there, when it hurts our necks to look?
The best thing about this book is the tone. The title, after all, is "Happiness." But it isn’t effusive or in-your-face or even especially upbeat. The love poems remind me sometimes of ee cummings, but without the tumescent lust, sometimes of Kenneth Patchen, but without the sacredness. There’s even a "Love Poem to Myself," which begins
Your basic appetites and pale feet renew
my faith in evolution; when you slide drunk
into a bath all the palm trees in Miami burn
My favorite poems at the moment are “Love Poem to Myself,” “Poem of Fear for My Future Child,” “13 Say,” and “I promise when I lift your egg.”
There’s a very funny prank poem called “The Spooks.” I won’t spoil it.
Sometimes your sadness is a yacht
huge, white and expensive, like an anvil
dropped from heaven: how will we get onboard
up there, when it hurts our necks to look?
The best thing about this book is the tone. The title, after all, is "Happiness." But it isn’t effusive or in-your-face or even especially upbeat. The love poems remind me sometimes of ee cummings, but without the tumescent lust, sometimes of Kenneth Patchen, but without the sacredness. There’s even a "Love Poem to Myself," which begins
Your basic appetites and pale feet renew
my faith in evolution; when you slide drunk
into a bath all the palm trees in Miami burn
My favorite poems at the moment are “Love Poem to Myself,” “Poem of Fear for My Future Child,” “13 Say,” and “I promise when I lift your egg.”
There’s a very funny prank poem called “The Spooks.” I won’t spoil it.
cielllo's review
5.0
okay so this is actual happiness.
favourites are: title poem, my sister, second, holy sonnets x / the bomb / the anatomy of a hammock / she loves you like / thank you for your email. also special shout out to the spooks, adore. LOVEDDDDDD all of the Mascha Kalélo poems, honorary favourites mention solely because she is so under-appreciated and i love that underwood seems to love her. she deserves all the love. especially germans out there, grab yourself a volume of hers when you buy happiness.
but LOVE me for a feeling / of risk that is as real as the feeling we had standing / in the cathedral, looking up beneath the big chandelier.
favourites are: title poem, my sister, second, holy sonnets x / the bomb / the anatomy of a hammock / she loves you like / thank you for your email. also special shout out to the spooks, adore. LOVEDDDDDD all of the Mascha Kalélo poems, honorary favourites mention solely because she is so under-appreciated and i love that underwood seems to love her. she deserves all the love. especially germans out there, grab yourself a volume of hers when you buy happiness.
but LOVE me for a feeling / of risk that is as real as the feeling we had standing / in the cathedral, looking up beneath the big chandelier.
an_admiring_bog's review
4.5
Incredibly unique and very down to earth. Although altogether not very memorable, some poems are of high value to me.
// Second reread a year later:
Incredibly skillful. Among my most favorite poems, they have remained with me and seeped into me slowly. Highly recommend.
// Second reread a year later:
Incredibly skillful. Among my most favorite poems, they have remained with me and seeped into me slowly. Highly recommend.
contre_qui's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I enjoyed the variety of forms and subject matters in the collection. Each of the poems were very different from each other. Some I really enjoyed, others weren't to my taste, but I think it was a great mix and a cool collection.
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