(This is something that just couldn’t go unblogged on TTR, extended hiatus or not.)
Read any good books lately?
Do yourselves a favor and make this one your next purchase.
I just finished Lee Herrick’s “This Many Miles From Desire,” and I can assure you that every poem is beautiful and worth reading again and again.
I am not easily impressed by poetry — perhaps because there are so many hacks out there who try much too hard and end up murdering their efforts with insincerity and pretense. Lee is not one of those people! His poems are organic and unrushed, and spoken as if he woke up from a dream and uncorked his memory … or as though he just returned home from a trip across three continents and unpacked words instead of souvenirs.
Or words as souvenirs.
Although I’ve read it from cover to cover, Lee’s book will stay on my nightstand for a good while. 
Addendum (9/10/07): I made a horrendous oversight in hanging up my blog before I added another hearty recommendation for an equally fantastic poet’s equally fantastic book. Do be sure to order Bryan Thao Worra’s “On the Other Side of the Eye.” I’m at a loss for an appropriate description, but it’s a carnival of word flavors!
Be prepared to be swept off to another realm.
And if you see Bryan while you’re there, please tell him I said “iH.”
I love your description! Just finished the first reading of Lee’s book and was blown away. I’m sure it’ll be on my nightstand for a while, too. It really is a book to be read and revisited often like music that never gets old.
I thought I would chime in and say how much I appreciate your comments here. Your description is flattering and in the best sense, I hope that my poems do the things you say, or that they are what you say they are. They’re definitely unrushed, at least, since many of the poems were written over the course of several years of travel. And I take great pride that you feel this way about the book, so thank you very much (and thank you, also, sume!). I hope other readers will have such a response!
take care
flattered & grateful, Lee
Just got this from amazon. Wonderfully constructed poetry.