From Down to the Village
After the Haiku of Yosa Buson
January 1, 2005
The Chain Saw Dance
January 1, 2007
From Down to the Village
Introduction by John Haines
Drawings by Lois Eby
F ROM DOWN TO THE VILLAGE, a continuation of the Judevine poems begun with THE CHAIN SAW DANCE, is an interconnected series of poems about Judevine village–poems about shopkeepers, young people, old people, a welder, an old mill, a junk store, a lawn sale, a dog, town officials, town fathers, town derelicts, food, people who are in, people who are out, people from the past, about the highway, the railroad, the river, and including the well-known “Raymond and Ann” which was originally published in Harper’s Magazine.
This is a book about love and longing, invention and loneliness, madness and joy, about the fears of nuclear war and the pleasures of daily life.
All the poems in FROM DOWN TO THE VILLAGE are included in JUDEVINE.
“If you think you’ll never like poetry, try Budbill, and if you think you like most poetry, try him, too. Either way, bet you’ll like him.”
– Ray Olson, Booklist, July 2005
“Budbill’s frank self-awareness keeps him from sounding smug . .. .; he’s quick to include himself in the benighted . . . a list of references in the book shows how strongly he’s been influenced by the classical Chinese poets-but they find fresh expression here, thanks to Budbill’s good humor and gusto.”
– Joel Brouwer, The New York Times Book Review, July 17, 2005
“His poems deal directly with subjects many other poets cloak in poetical devices, and this directness makes Budbill’s poems accessible and moving.”
– ForeWord Magazine
“It’s that honest voice, spare and clean as a brushstroke painting, that bridges the centuries and makes his poetry so compelling. It takes a lifetime to learn to write like that. Fortunately for us, Budbill has devoted his lifetime to exploring the brevity, poignancy, and beauty of his life, and this life.”
– Tom Slayton, Vermont Public Radio, June 2005