There is an abundance of profound thoughts to be gleaned from these poems, which has led me to the conclusion that I will have to re-read them again in the near future.

Some of them, such as "Happiness," have become a daily ritual for me. Whenever I desire to be reminded of the joy that lies within simple moments, like waking up early and savoring a cup of coffee, or like indulging in the beauty of reading a poem, I find myself turning to this particular piece.

The power of these poems to evoke emotions and inspire reflection is truly remarkable. It has also sparked my interest in exploring more of Chekhov's works. I am eager to discover what other literary treasures he has in store for me.

Now, I am determined to embark on this new literary journey and immerse myself in the world of Chekhov's writing. I anticipate that it will be an enriching and enlightening experience, filled with new insights and perspectives.

I can't wait to see where this exploration will take me and how it will further enhance my understanding and appreciation of literature.

I've been carefully nurturing this collection of Carver's poetry for a rather long time now, and I'm truly glad that I made that choice. Just like numerous others, when considering everything, I have a preference for his prose over his poetry. However, this particular collection vividly showcases that he also penned some truly excellent poems.

He possesses a simple and straightforward style that is surprisingly powerful. Some of these poems have become among my absolute favorites within the works of recent poets that I have read. It's important to note that not every single poem in this collection is of outstanding quality, but there are definitely some gems, and the majority of the collection is at least quite good.

The final few poems, which were written after Carver received a terminal cancer diagnosis, are especially beautiful and deeply heart-breaking. They offer a poignant insight into his state of mind during that difficult time.

This collection reveals yet another aspect of Carver's remarkable artistry. It rightfully deserves to be an integral part of his lasting legacy, standing side by side with his (immortal) short stories. It enriches our understanding of his creative genius and adds another layer to his already impressive body of work.

I have always held a deep admiration for Carver's stories.

Even when some of them were rather unpleasant to peruse because of the unwavering directness with which he made the experiences of his characters feel astonishingly real.

Now, I have discovered that he was a poet initially, and in fact, also at the very end.

These poems are truly excellent. They read in a manner similar to his stories, although at times with a more concentrated focus on a particular emotion or a sense of something intangible.

It is also very nice that they are all gathered together in one beautifully printed Vintage Contemporaries paperback. This is one of my favorite publishing series.

The cover is made of an appropriately unsmoothed paper, which is barely thicker than the pages themselves. It feels rough to the touch, yet it has a good texture in one's hands.

Much like the words on the pages within are to the eye and to the spirit. It would be a wonderful read by candlelight out on the deck, with a cigar held in one hand and two fingers of fine bourbon in a glass placed next to the ashtray.

It would create a perfect ambiance for indulging in the beauty of Carver's poetic words.

I've delved into all of Carver's short stories, yet his poetry remained uncharted territory for me. I'm truly glad that I made the decision to rectify that omission. This collection is filled with numerous references to fishing and Chekhov, making it an exhaustive exploration of his poetic world. My favorite poems, in the order they appear within the book, are as follows:

Alcohol

Marriage

Torture

Radio Waves

Hominy and Rain

The Ashtray

Rain

Ask Him

From the East, Light

Earwigs

Sweet Light

The Pen

The Phone Booth

Miracle

Late Fragment (This was the final poem before the appendixes, and it was especially fitting.)

“There’s a sense that I’ve lost—not everything, not everything, but far too much. A part of my life forever.”

“My heart—the blurred things it was doing at the time.” From “Away”

“I’ve lost my place. Tell me what it is you wanted to know.” From “Reading Something in the Restaurant”

“Over the long course everything but hope lets you go, then even that loosens its grip.” From “The Author of Her Misfortune”

“My hands grieve in this bright sunlight.” From “Transformation”

“What lasts is what you start with.” –Charles Wright

The book suffers due to the bulk and heterogeneity of its content. In fact, all of the author's poems are included, ranging from those of his youth to those written just before his death.

The spectrum of themes is vast, and creating a pointed list would omit many. In practice, it examines all the components of a person's life.

Unfortunately, and I feel that a large part of this judgment is merely personal and thus subject to possible revision in the future, some poems are truly unsatisfactory. In the light of pages where the emotion grabs the reader and a particular stylistic and/or verbal research is observed, some poems seem very inferior.

On average, I liked those in the second half of the book more, and especially those written at the end of the author's life. These later works seem to carry a deeper wisdom and a more profound exploration of the human condition. The author's experiences and growth over the years are palpable in these poems, making them more engaging and thought-provoking.

However, it is important to note that the book as a whole offers a comprehensive view of the author's poetic journey, and even the less satisfactory poems contribute to this overall picture. They show the author's evolution and experimentation, and perhaps even hint at the challenges and struggles he faced along the way.

Despite its flaws, this collection of poems is a valuable addition to the literary canon, and it offers readers a unique opportunity to explore the mind and heart of a talented poet.

Raymond Carver is perhaps one of the most under-appreciated poets in the post-modern world. He is known almost exclusively as a short story writer, and even the mighty Norton Anthology fails to mention his work as a poet. However, Carver was equally talented as a poet as he was as a fiction writer. This collection contains nearly all of his poems.

His work is spare, stark, and honest, perhaps neglected because of its accessibility. But don't be misled. This is true art. Great art that explores supposedly artless subjects such as fishing, drinking, and falling apart. It delves into the complexity of relationships and the wonder and mystery of death.

Carver's poems offer a unique perspective on the human experience. They are simple yet profound, touching on themes that are universal and timeless. Reading his work is like looking into a mirror and seeing a reflection of our own lives.

So, if you haven't already, pick up this collection and discover the hidden gem that is Raymond Carver the poet. You won't be disappointed.

Fear of police cars standing in front of the house.

Fear of falling asleep at night.

Fear of not being able to fall asleep.

Fear of the flood of the past.

Fear that the present is slipping away.

Fear of the phone ringing in the dead of night.

Fear of a storm with lightning and thunder.

Fear of the cleaner with a mark on her face!

Fear of the dog that they told me doesn't get along.

Fear of boredom!

Fear that I will have to identify the body of a dead friend.

Fear of running out of money.

Fear that I have too much of it, although people wouldn't believe that.

Fear of psychological profiles.

Fear of being late and fear of arriving before others.

Fear of my children's handwriting on envelopes.

Fear that she will die before me, and that I will feel guilty.

Fear that I will have to live with my mother in her old age,

and mine.

Fear of confusion.

Fear that this day will end badly.

Fear that I will wake up and discover that you have left.

Fear that I don't love and fear that I don't love enough.

Fear that what I love will be harmful to those I love.

Fear of death.

Fear of a long life.

Fear of death.

I said it.

I'm still reading, but it's clear that today I'm inspired and that this will be a great day like a house. I can't help but share with you my emotions while reading Carver's poetry. In fact, I like it more than his stories. So far, my favorite is still "Fear". I'm going to continue enjoying it, and you, if you have the opportunity, find this collection of poems.

I know it's trendy to loathe him, and now with the Lish drama unfolding, his reputation is perhaps even more soiled. But I've always been a huge admirer of his writing, despite its inconsistent quality.

The poems are frequently derided for their prosaic, chatty, confessionalist New Yorker traits... There are indeed some like that here, but the vast majority seem to me to be successful adaptations of a particular school of Russian poetry into English. He's very Russian for an American. I believe he was constantly striving to reach Chekhov's level, and I think he achieved it in much of his fiction and some of his poetry.

I appreciate the bleakness, and the imagery is often spookily accurate. He was a good (albeit overstretched) man and a great writer. From that disparity - which Carver was extremely aware of and anguished over - much of his writing was born. His work often manages to make morality (the ethical) an interesting and even beautiful topic. I respect him and I respect his books. There's a reason his books are translated into so many languages.

Raymond Carver’s "All Of Us: The Collected Poems" is truly a remarkable work that serves as a masterclass in the art of finding profound meaning within the simplest of things.

He has an extraordinary ability to transform the most ordinary, everyday moments into vivid and resonant pieces of art. His poetry has the charm of intimate conversations, skillfully blending the lyrical and the narrative elements to unfold stories that touch upon the themes of love, loss, nature, and mortality.

Carver's verses are refreshingly unadorned, yet they possess an emotional potency that is truly captivating. The honesty in his words creates a sense of familiarity and connection, as if we are revisiting a dear friend. Each poem is filled with quiet revelations, uncovering the hidden beauty in the mundane and offering a sense of peace in the face of life’s inevitable fragility.

To read this collection is to embark on a journey that allows us not only to witness Carver’s unique world but also to feel deeply human, profoundly loved, and undeniably alive. It is a collection that has the power to touch our hearts and leave a lasting impression on our souls.

This was truly exhausting.

I would suggest approaching Carver's poetry collections on an individual basis. Among them, my absolute favorites were "Fires" (1985) and "Where Water Comes Together with Other Water" (1986). These collections had a certain charm and depth that really appealed to me. However, as I delved deeper into his works, particularly with "A New Path to the Waterfall" (1989), despite its highly evocative title, I found myself increasingly struggling to engage with the content. In fact, it got to a point where it was almost unreadable for me.

Carver's recurrent themes of loneliness, infidelity, alcoholism, and salmon fishing, which were interesting at first, eventually grew rather wearisome. It felt like I was reading the same things over and over again. But as I mentioned earlier, some of my all-time favorite poems of his can be found in the first two collections. There was one in particular where the dog dies that really tugged at my heartstrings. It was a powerful and moving piece that showcased Carver's talent as a poet.

Overall, while I had a great appreciation for some of Carver's poetry, there were also aspects of his work that left me feeling disappointed and frustrated.

Carver’s best poetry is, in fact, found within his stories.

Few of the works gathered here can be considered actual poems in the traditional sense. They are more akin to prose crumbs, delicately rubbed between the fingers and then haphazardly sprinkled across the page. Just like most American poets, form, rhyme, and lines that scan smoothly were not Carver’s forte.

I highly doubt that many of the poems unearthed here were ever intended to be exposed to the public eye. It is possible that a few individuals might jot down something like ‘My Son / How many times did I want you dead?’ in a notebook, but surely even fewer would desire to have that line printed. The overly narrow focus of the poems, constantly centered around ‘poor me, poor me,’ becomes tiresome. Had the editors made a more discerning selection rather than simply compiling everything, this issue might have been resolved.

Towards the end of his life, as Carver was succumbing to lung cancer, the self-pity that had pervaded his earlier works evaporated completely. Logically, one might expect the poems to deteriorate. However, quite the opposite occurred. They actually improved. Regardless of their origin, they read like captivating tales. The most memorable poems are either powerful monologues or tightly compressed stories, such as ‘You Don't Know What Love Is’, ‘Lemonade’, ‘Pure Gravy’, and, of course, ‘Late Fragment.’ While Carver’s stories have a universal appeal and speak to everyone, his poetry mainly revolves around himself. As a result, its value is somewhat limited.

His stories had not convinced me, they had seemed too "poor" to me. But with his poems, Carver managed to win me over.

Perhaps those who know about Poetry will be horrified to see my five stars, but I assign them fully and convincedly. Surely there is (much) better in the poetic field. However, here I have found a disarming spontaneity, freshness, luminosity, and, despite their simplicity, they reveal an uncommon sensibility. To be read and reread.

Carver's poems have a certain charm that draws you in. They are not overly complicated or pretentious, but rather they speak to the heart in a simple and direct way. The language he uses is accessible, yet it manages to convey deep emotions and thoughts.

Each poem seems to be a snapshot of a moment in time, a fleeting feeling or observation that Carver has captured and immortalized on the page. The images he creates are vivid and powerful, leaving a lasting impression on the reader.

Overall, I highly recommend Carver's poems to anyone who appreciates good literature. They are a joy to read and will surely touch your heart.