Definitely agree with Stillatim. Also recommend "Days of 1935" and "Victor Dog," which is about what the RCA dog hears when he's listening to all those records. ( )

I resisted Merrill for a long time, thanks to the whole 'major experimental poem dictated by spirits from the netherworld via a Ouija board' thing. Then a friend, whom I greatly respect, said (or at least implied) that I should read Merrill. Well, it took a while, but I got around to it. And my respected friend was right. Merrill's the perfect mix of experiment and form, feeling and intellect. I sometimes have no idea what he's talking about, but I know that the next poem will be comprehensible, witty, and beautiful. Particularly recommended: Days of 1971, Dreams about Clothes, After the Fire. ( )