Cries from the Ark

A pitch-perfect debutand a call to act in the service of Earth through radiant attention. Humankind, at present, has breached floodgates that have only been breached before in ancient stories of angry gods, or so far back on geologic and biological timelines as to seem more past than past. Against this catastrophic backdrop (at the end of consolations, at the high-water mark), and equipped with a periscopic eye and a sublime metaphorical reach, poet Dan MacIsaac has crowded his debut vessel with sloths and auks, mummified remains and bumbling explorers, German expressionists and Neolithic cave-;Intro; Contents; Proverbs from the Ark; The First Bestiary; Manx Metamorph; Chilcotin Wild Horses; Bison: Wallowing; Bison: Calving; Bison: Rut; Bull Moose; Spirit Bear; Garbage Bear; Black Bear: Filicide; Giant Pandas; Foxy; Sloth; Vancouver Island Wolverine; Tasmanian Tiger; That Bloody Pool of Trouble; Cain; Drunk; David; The Ear of Malchus; The Fisherman of Malta; Paul on the Adriatic; Raucous on the Wing; Archaeopteryx; Goldfinch; Northern Shrike; Redtail; Red Dorking; Red Pileated Woodpecker; Temptation; Layer; Great Auk; Crows; Snowy Owl; Owl Pellet; Turkey Vulture; Turkey Vultures. A pitch-perfect debut and a call to act in the service of Earth through radiant attention. Humankind, at present, has breached floodgates that have only been breached before in ancient stories of angry gods, or so far back on geologic and biological timelines as to seem more past than past. Against this catastrophic backdrop (at the end of consolations, at the high-water mark), and equipped with a periscopic eye and a sublime metaphorical reach, poet Dan MacIsaac has crowded his debut vessel with sloths and gipsy-birds, mummified remains and bumbling explorers, German expressionists and Neolithic cave-painters. MacIsaac knows that in order to render a thing in language, description itself must be open to metamorphosis and transformation; each thing must be seen alongside, overtop of, and underneath everything else that has been seen. With the predominant "I" of so many poetic debuts almost entirely absent, Cries from the Ark is catalogue and cartography of our common mortal - and moral - lot. "These poems are fecund as black dirt, as carnal and joyous. Each piece is an owl pellet, a concentrate of bone and tuft, of bison, auk and Beothuk. Not since Eric Ormsby's Araby have I read a book so empathic and so glossarily rich. Fair warning, I'll be stealing words from you for years." - Sharon McCartney "MacIsaac sings a raven's work, sings the guts from our myths, sings our world with the breath that 'for a century/ of centuries / only the wild grass / remembered.' Present but acquainted with antiquity, MacIsaac's instrument is our own breathing as we say these poems of reverence to ourselves." - Matt Rader Poetry. A Pitch-perfect Debut And A Call To Act In The Service Of Earth Through Radiant Attention. Humankind, At Present, Has Breached Floodgates That Have Only Been Breached Before In Ancient Stories Of Angry Gods, Or So Far Back On Geologic And Biological Timelines As To Seem More Past Than Past. Against This Catastrophic Backdrop (at The End Of Consolations, At The High-water Mark), And Equipped With A Periscopic Eye And A Sublime Metaphorical Reach, Poet Dan Macisaac Has Crowded His Debut Vessel With Sloths And Auks, Mummified Remains And Bumbling Explorers, German Expressionists And Neolithic Cave-painters. With The Predominant I Of So Many Poetic Debuts Almost Entirely Absent, Cries From The Ark Is Catalogue And Cartography Of Our Common Mortal -- And Moral -- Lot. These Poems Are Fecund As Black Dirt, As Carnal And Joyous. Each Piece Is An Owl Pellet, A Concentrate Of Bone And Tuft, Of Bison, Auk And Beothuk. Not Since Eric Ormsby's Araby Have I Read A Book So Empathic And So Glossarily Rich. Fair Warning, Macisaac: I'll Be Stealing Words From You For Years.--sharon Mccartney Macisaac Sings A Raven's Work, Sings The Guts From Our Myths, Sings Our World With The Breath That 'for A Century/ Of Centuries / Only The Wild Grass / Remembered.' Present But Acquainted With Antiquity, Macisaac's Instrument Is Our Own Breathing As We Say These Poems Of Reverence To Ourselves. --matt Rader Intro Contents Proverbs from the Ark The First Bestiary Manx Metamorph Chilcotin Wild Horses Bison: Wallowing Bison: Calving Bison: Rut Bull Moose Spirit Bear Garbage Bear Black Bear: Filicide Giant Pandas Foxy Sloth Vancouver Island Wolverine Tasmanian Tiger That Bloody Pool of Trouble Cain Drunk David The Ear of Malchus The Fisherman of Malta Paul on the Adriatic Raucous on the Wing Archaeopteryx Goldfinch Northern Shrike Redtail Red Dorking Red Pileated Woodpecker Temptation Layer Great Auk Crows Snowy Owl Owl Pellet Turkey Vulture Turkey Vultures. ChernobylPrintmakers Footprints at Laetoli, Tanzania La Brea Woman Cave Paintings Franz Marcâ#x80 #x99 s Wild Pigs (Boar and Sow),1913 Ship in a Bottle Omens of Cortés Thunderbird Charlotte Small Maasai A Brambled Kingdom Foundations of Cages Spring Hail Glacier Lily Dandelions Pommes de Terre Indian Pipe The Horsefly Wasps Surrogate Woolly Bear Caterpillar Tent Caterpillars Termite Queen Deluge Swimming in Stone La Brea Woman Redux Seahorse Columbus and Isabella Torrington Moorish Idol Glass Sponges Sea Star and Mussel Jellyfish Deluge Notes Acknowledgements.