Product Description

An anthology of poems about divorce. Poems are divided into six areas; "Marriage," "Separation," "Divorce," "Children," "Ex" and "Starting Over."

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2454775 in Books
• Published on: 2000-05-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 90 pages

From The New Yorker
...if there was ever a small book of poems that had a vast ready-made audience it is "Split Verse"....

Review
Meg Campbell had no idea the worst chapter of her life would become a cult hit. -- Working Mother, June 2000 by BETSY LOWTHER

From the Back Cover
We know the ties that bind are the same ones that come undone, but here is a collection of poems to remind us that each unraveling is unique and that each can be an occasion for a vital utterance. Poignant, wry, bitter, or grateful, the poems that make up SPLIT VERSE are brave valedictions to the hope of romance, testimonies to the reputation of poetry as the best and oldest record of human emotion.

--Billy Collins, author of QUESTIONS ABOUT ANGELS

SPLIT VERSE is poetry of uncompromised insight and beauty that reflects the emotional, spiritual, and practical realities of making a transition out of an intimate relationship. In the particularities of these poets' unique experiences, we find the histories of all of our relationships, all our transitions, from beginnings to endings to new beginnings.

--Diane Vaughan, author of UNCOUPLING: TURNING POINTS IN INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS

Customer Reviews

Telling the truth about love and loss
Separation and divorce are things that touch everyone and need to be talked about. Whether you are a child of divorced parents, or simply suffering from a break-up, even if you are happy and in love these poems cover the full spectrum of emotions involved. Each section speaks to a particular place in your soul and yet inspires you to remember the strength of the whole. At once funny and clever, or wry and difficult, they are beautifully written and collected. You will be glad you picked it up.

Beautifully done!
Split Verse, a collection of poems about divorce, voices the range of human emotion on this subject, and this voice at times lifts to keening and lulls to a growl. Buy this book for the chilling recognition of the unspoken distance underpinning a marriage in William Duke's "The Best Sex" and the flash of violence in Nita Penfold's "Her Daughter's Future Wedding": "All she can think about/is being in the same room/as her ex-husband./The knives on the table." From rants to quiet reflections, bursts of hope to the inertia of resignation, Split Verse is a sincere and powerful collection, a heartfelt respite from the anesthesia of these ironic days. The last words of the last poem in this collection, "The Way to Survive Divorce," by Meg Campbell, are an apt description of what each of these poets is doing: "Unveiling her heart with her hands." Beautifully done.

Breaking up is hard to do
Often "theme" anthologies end up too small in their focus and their reach. While SPLIT VERSE certainly concentrates on divorce, the poems are true to any experience of loss, devastation or betrayal. William Duke's erotic masterpiece "The Best Sex" bites you with its final judgement. Nita Penfold's recurring narrator reminds you of a favorite wise aunt, long since recovered from a bad choice. These poets aren't bitter but one can tell they spent some time there. SPLIT VERSE will surprise you every time you open it. Enjoy!