A Tiny Ship Upon the Sea - Tapa blanda

When I sit down with a new manuscript by Bob Cooperman, I know I’m down for the count and won’t stir again until his story is told. A Tiny Ship upon the Sea, rich with the legend, lore, and history of Ireland, is a tale of suspense and surprise about the wicked and the wicked-er! The characters are thieves, villains, and hypocrites, yet in Cooperman’s skillful hands, I come to care about them. Underlying all the apt metaphors, images and other wonderful tricks of the poetic trade lies Cooperman’s always present quest for justice. I can say of this book, as I can rarely say of a volume of poetry, “It is a page-turner!” —Carol Hamilton, former Poet Laureate of Oklahoma and author of Vanishing Point and Shots On

A Tiny Ship Upon the Sea is more than a spirited historical adventure tale. It is an extended meditation on friendship, sexual awakening, political oppression, and the fundamental desire for liberty—all enlivened by the richness of Irish myth and fable. Robert Cooperman is unique among American poets in his mastery of the narrative poetic sequence, and that mastery is evident on every page of this fine collection. —Joseph Hutchison, author of The Rain at Midnight, Bed of Coals, and ten other books of poetry