PADGETT, Ron
Very Collected Poems

More than 1000 pages of poems by Ron Padgett!!!!!!

“Gathering a lifetime of poetry” – from In Advance of the Broken Arm (1964) to Dot (2022).

The index of first lines is itself a treat.

“By turns imaginative and witty, and then simple and direct, Padgett’s mercurial work offers readers the pleasure of his surprising curiosity and generous spirit.”

Here is “Chocolate Milk,” excerpted from Tulsa Kid (1979):

Oh God! It’s great!
to have someone fix you
chocolate milk
and to appreciate their doing it!
Even as they stir it
in the kitchen
your mouth is going crazy
for the chocolate milk!
The wonderful chocolate milk!

Published by Coffee House Press, 2025
Poetry