Splitting an Order

Splitting an Order

<div><p><B>One of the "Big Indie Books of Fall 2014"—<I>Publishers Weekly</I> </p><p>Paterson Poetry Prize, 2015</p></B></P><p>"Ted Kooser must be the most accessible and enjoyable major poet in America. His lines are so clear and simple."—Michael Dirda,<I>The Washington Post</I></P><p>“Readers [of <I>Splitting an Order</I>] will find ‘characters’ both strange and wonderful, animal or human. There is a sense that time is passing quickly and that everything worthy must be captured and savored, from an old couple lovingly sharing a sandwich to another sowing seed potatoes to a tribute to an old dog who waits as age and winter approach… Master of the single-metaphor poem, Kooser offers images that evolve, fluid and unforced.”—<I>Library Journal,</I> starred review <p></P><p>"Wisdom, compassion, and dignity continue to mark the poetry of Ted Kooser...<I>Splitting an Order</I> [is] a quiet collection that honors small victories and gives reasons to be hopeful."—Elizabeth Lund, <I>The Christian Science Monitor</I></P><p>"Kooser's ability to discover the smallest detail and render it remarkable is a rare gift."—<I>Bloomsbury Review</I></P><p>Pulitzer Prize winner and best selling poet Ted Kooser calls attention to the intimacies of life through commonplace objects and occurrences: an elderly couple sharing a sandwich is a study in transcendent love, while a tattered packet of spinach seeds calls forth innate human potential. This long-awaited collection from the former U.S. Poet Laureate—ten years in the making—is rich with quiet and profound magnificence.</P><p><B>From "Splitting an Order":</B></P><p><I>I like to watch an old man cutting a sandwich in half<br>… and then to see him lift half<br>onto the extra plate that he asked the server to bring,<br>and then to wait, offering the plate to his wife<br>while she slowly unrolls her napkin and places her spoon,<br>her knife and her fork in their proper places,<br>then smoothes the starched white napkin over her knees<br>and meets his eyes and holds out both old hands to him.</I></P><p><B>Ted Kooser</B> is the author of numerous books of poetry and prose, including <I>Delights and Shadows</I> (Copper Canyon Press), which won the Pulitzer Prize. A former US Poet Laureate, Kooser serves as editor for "American Life in Poetry," a nationally syndicated weekly newspaper column.<BR></div>