True Does Nothing

J.T. Barbarese’s poems are a dose of smelling salts in a sleepy, go- along world. The freshness of his language matches perfectly— abets, I should say—the freshness and candor of his world view. Tart and sere, and also witty and generous, True Does Nothing is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I particularly admire his long-lined, long-limbed odes. They are, like all the poems here, exuberantly musical and bracingly less deceived. A brilliant, memorable collection!