Odd mercy

One of our most acclaimed poets wrestles with the issues - love, hope, memory, faith - that have occupied him "in the second half of my sixth decade on beautiful earth." The centerpiece of Gerald Stern's ninth collection is a long poem titled "Hot Dog" named for a beautiful street woman who lives in and around Tompkins Square Park. Other characters in this poem are St. Augustine, Walt Whitman, Noah, Gerald Stern himself, and a ninety-year-old black preacher from the Midwest. In "Hot Dog," and throughout this collection, Stern examines the long journey towards redemption and justice and the bitter struggle - and battle - over our minds and souls.