Rust or Go Missing

by Lily Brown

The poems in Lily Brown s Rust or Go Missing exist in the liminal space between the literal and the imagined, the rational and the irrational, the abstract and the representational. They think themselves into being, and in so doing, become not just reflections on lived and imagined experience, but experiences in themselves.

Genres: Poetry

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finely crafted with some truly gorgeous lines and great leaps. They're also super-cerebral, which I guess is kind of popular right now in contemp. amer. poe., but is sometimes personally difficult for me to get a toehold on. Flipping back through, I noticed the poems that resonate most with me are the less cerebrally dense ones. Where some emotion slips in, there's more at stake-- some gesture at heartache vs. thought-ache-- greater tension that I'd like to see a bit more of, like in this one--



Sitting in the Car



Swallows fall from
wire, silver tributes

to the sun--who comes
here? Deer-faced cows

in the open range.
The black bird tucks

her wings. Swallows
all from wire. We

pass. Sideways, we are
bodies; one dimension,

being moved.




Wow, this one kills me. "Transference" too. ("I am watching TV. We expect too much/ from each other...)

[Cynthia Arrieu-King · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how when I hear/read Lily's poems, I feel like I am in a beautiful snapshot of extremely kinetic/chance composition that keeps altering beautifully to express a texture and moment. Wonderful stuff.

[David Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this anthology was a truly life-changing experience. Since first reading Rust or Go Missing I have gotten out of my alcoholic rut, got hired my dream job working for the Smithsonian, and got back together with my previously estranged wife. Brown is one of the top poets of our generation and can be put on the same level as Wallace Stevens, Frank O'Hara, and Walt Whitman. I would vote for Rust or Go Missing to be canonized. I can only hope that Brown writes more poetry soon, as I will be eagerly awaiting her next anthology.

[Patrick Mcgee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't a big fan of Lilly Brown. Her poetry is very abstract with only a few being relatable and accessible. Again, just my opinion and when it comes to poetry there is a wide range of what some will find great while others not so much.