Water, Water

'Among the best poems that Collins has ever written' – NPR

In more than sixty new poems, 'America's favourite poet' (New York Times) Billy Collins writes with joy and wonder about the beauty and irony of daily life. The best poetry, he believes, begins with clarity and ends in mystery, and in Water, Water we encounter a writer endlessly astonished by the world all around. Turning his eye to the cat drinking from the swimming pool or the nurse calling your name in the waiting room or the astronaut reading Emily Dickinson while orbiting earth, Collins captures the images and moments that mean so much more than they might initially seem. With a voice both simple and melodic, hospitable and lyrical, his poetry asks each of us to slow down and notice the commonplace in order to discover the sublime.

'Witty, wry and tender when it hurts, Water, Water is a pleasure to read and easy to give' – The Washington Post