Rose Is a Verb

<p>A little more than two thousand years ago the Roman poet Virgil wrote his <em>Georgics</em> a long poetic sequence about agriculture suffused with profound reflections on the relationship between humanity nature and the divine-and reflecting the political turmoil of his times.</p><p><br></p><p>California poet Karen An-hwei Lee inspired by Virgil has created her own dense richly-layered collection of Neo-Georgics constituting an extended exploration of such motifs as</p><p>happiness olive groves vineyards soil chemistries the seacoast and the birth of trees. </p><p><br></p><p>In Lee's contemporary rendering we confront an environment blighted by our carbon footprint; advancements in agricultural technology and genetic engineering; the digital age; fossil fuel transportation; and vanishing bees. </p><p><br></p><p><em>Rose Is a Verb </em>explores the ancient tradition of agrarian labor including tilling the soil and</p><p>interpreting weather signs and war omens. The poems flash with verbal ingenuity and mind-bending allusions-challenging the heart and mind but repaying slow careful readings many times over. A meditation on the natural environment this collection serves as a biomythography of procreation and a reflection on the meaning of happiness.</p>