Daniel Shapiro

Child with a Swan's Wings Daniel Shapiro

Poetry. The language of CHILD WITH A SWAN'S WINGS by Daniel Shapiro is downright sumptuous, the poems by turns joyful ('In the Field Between Us'), pensive, erudite, musical ('Rhymes'), sensual ('with these eyes, these ears, / these noses, these tongues, these hands'), visually playful, tender, ironic, devotional ('Ode to Jan Morris'), and altogether remarkable. The title poem is quite simply a virtuoso accomplishment, Shapiro's assured craftsmanship the safety net beneath the bravura. A fully realized companion to his earlier WOMAN AT THE CUSP OF TWILIGHT, CHILD WITH A SWAN'S WINGS is a must-be-read-aloud delight.--Maxine Silverman