"Robert Frost famously celebrated his appointment as Poet Laureate of Vermont with the question "Breathes there a bard who isn't moved / When he finds his verse is understood / And not entirely disapproved / By his country and his neighborhood?" As if in answer, the title of emeritus Kentucky Poet Laureate Jeff Worley's new volume of poetry, selected from his six previous full-length collections, makes reference to his Lexington, Kentucky home of many decades, where it is very clear that his verse indeed is celebrated by his neighborhood and well beyond. That's because Worley is a peoples' poet, whose verse is instantly accessible and relatable; but while he often writes with a humorous touch (really, his poem about his wife Linda and him batting an opossum around their kitchen, stark naked in the middle of the night, is worth the price of admission!), make no mistake - he is very serious about his craft, and his light lines carry a great weight of feeling (see his poems about his parents). Often that feeling is for nature and animals - indeed, the true Poet Laureate of Aurora Avenue is revealed to be spider dozing in her web, "hoping for / some small attention / a captive audience of one." Prepare to be made captive yourself, because like this spider Worley weaves an entrancing web, gossamer fine, of well-wrought words, words enhanced here by lovely illustrations by Laura Lee Cundiff"-- Provided by publisher.
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