A review by ohitsbetterthisway
Bound by Claire Schwartz

5.0

This collection, though short, was so full, so very full. I have written in my copy through and through, underlined so many beautiful lines that rang for me, hand drawn stars dotting everything. "these days, an elsewhere / pulls you close" (For Mrs. Halachmi), "my lover's body is a metronome. i listen / as sleep portions her breath / into something even, perfect. / once again, i am held / on the outside of time." (distance is the primal fact), "Dear Littlest- Dear Not Yet- / Who counts / you?" and "I have built you a shore with all my best words & still, the waves." (Shards with Diffuse Light). These are only the very beginning of all of my favorite bits. The collection as a whole, much like these lines (and the many more lines I've fawned over in my copy), is absolutely breathtaking. Everything feels both intentional and effortlessly drawn from her pen. This work is excellent, and I am prepared to read it over and over again to find even more hidden within these mountains for poems.