Keynote
A chilling and masterful second poetry collection by Mark Wunderlich, author of the award-winning The Anchorage
Book Title
Voluntary Servitude
Subtitle
Poems
Cover Image
- "A remarkable book, one filled with stunning images, powerful language, and a determination never to turn away from what's painful, from what most us might not otherwise be willing to see. . . Voluntary Servitude is evidence of [Wunderlich's] remarkable growth since the release of his first book, and a promise that his talent and voice will continue to unfold in new and unexpected ways."—Speakeasy
Body
Sometimes the heart breaks. Sometimes
it is not held hostage. The red world
where cells prepare for the unexpected
splays open at the window's ledge.
Be not human you inhuman thing.
-from "Amaryllis"
The poems in Mark Wunderlich's Voluntary Servitude ask of the beloved, "You say, Don't wreck me, and I say I won't, but how can I know that?" Here the poet is both servant and master to memory, sex, family, and the will of the lover, and the resulting poems describe the physical and psychological constraints and releases of relationships at the breaking point.
it is not held hostage. The red world
where cells prepare for the unexpected
splays open at the window's ledge.
Be not human you inhuman thing.
-from "Amaryllis"
The poems in Mark Wunderlich's Voluntary Servitude ask of the beloved, "You say, Don't wreck me, and I say I won't, but how can I know that?" Here the poet is both servant and master to memory, sex, family, and the will of the lover, and the resulting poems describe the physical and psychological constraints and releases of relationships at the breaking point.
List Price
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About the Author
Credit: Nicholas Kahn
Praise
- “No matter the topic, Wunderlich almost infallibly strikes a tone of humane feeling and aesthetic refinement.”—Contemporary Poetry Review
- “[A] tugging and beautiful new book.”—Provincetown Arts
- “These poems demonstrate line by line, like a series of erotic, metaphysical tricks, what Wunderlich does best—unleashing the energy in language, while at the same time binding it.”—OUT Magazine
