Toxic Flora

Poems

Overview | Formats

“[Kimiko] Hahn’s frankness . . . allows [these poems] to stand out as starkly fresh as the carnivorous plants she describes.”—American Poet

For Kimiko Hahn, the language and imagery of science open up magical possibilities for the poet. In her haunting eighth collection inspired by articles from the weekly “Science” section of the New York Times, Hahn explores identity, extinction, and survival using exotic tropes drawn from the realms of astrophysics, mycology, paleobotany, and other rarefied fields. With warmth and generosity, Hahn mines the world of science in these elegant, ardent poems.

from “On Deceit as Survival”
   Yet another species resembles
   a female bumble bee,
   ending in frustrated trysts—
   or appears to be two fractious males
   which also attracts—no surprise—
   a third curious enough to join the fray.
   What to make of highly evolved Beauty
   bent on deception as survival—

Book Details

Paperback
October 2011
ISBN 978-0-393-34114-0
5.6 × 8.3 in / 124 pages
Territory Rights: Worldwide

Other Formats

Toxic Flora: Poems

Hardcover

Endorsements & Reviews

“These sharp, gut-punching lyrics quote from and/or borrow the diction of science writing in order to investigate more personal issues . . . but the real thrill comes not from Hahn's personal revelations but from the ways they dovetail so surprisingly with contemporary scientific observations.... This may be Hahn's best book to date.” — Publishers Weekly