{"product_id":"how-chet-baker-died-book-barry-gifford-9781644211540","title":"How Chet Baker Died","description":"\u003cb\u003ePoems from the acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eRoy's World\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eWild at Heart\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other works\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The first words in Barry Gifford's new poetry collection say it all-\"Here I am wasting time again \/ writing poems to keep myself company\" - doing what he has ever done, surprising his readers in kaleidoscopic prisms of color, turning every breath into a story, and himself into his most colorful character.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e She stood and walked across the lawn\u003cbr\u003e past the cottage and into the big house.\u003cbr\u003e He stayed to watch the last of the sunset,\u003cbr\u003e waiting for the flash of green.\u003cbr\u003e When it was finally dark and there was\u003cbr\u003e no moon and the fireflies appeared,\u003cbr\u003e he got up and began walking toward the house.\u003cbr\u003e He loved the Italian word for firefly,\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003elucciola\u003c\/i\u003e. She was like that, flickering\u003cbr\u003e on and off from moment to moment.\u003cbr\u003e As he approached the house, he could hear\u003cbr\u003e her singing- \u003ci\u003eVogliatemi bene, un bene\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003epiccolino\u003c\/i\u003e. It's so strange, he thought,\u003cbr\u003e life's so fast and time's too slow.\u003cbr\u003e He stopped and watched the fireflies.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e Or this-\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In my dream someone asked me if\u003cbr\u003e I remembered Frank Jackson\u003cbr\u003e Hearing this name brought tears\u003cbr\u003e to my eyes though I've never\u003cbr\u003e known anyone by that name\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The mystery in these poems lives just beyond the province of words. In a strange way, Barry Gifford's poems tell a wordless story, freed of the writer's art. \"It's dangerous to remember \/ so much, especially for a writer \/ The temptation to make sense \/ of it is always there \/ where you and I \/ are no longer.\" Daily life, family and friends, are much more important here than books. The beauty and elusiveness of women and music are of utmost importance, far more so than literature. As he attests- \"I prefer music to poems, words don't\u003cbr\u003e live the same way-so, listen.\"\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49742669775121,"sku":"NGR9781644211540","price":13.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1644211548.jpg?v=1750764114","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/how-chet-baker-died-book-barry-gifford-9781644211540","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}