Collected poems / Fleur Adcock.

"Brings together for the first time her 'Poems 1960-2000' and four subsequent collections. Adcock writes about men and women, childhood, identity, roots and rootlessness, memory and loss, animals and dreams, as well as our interactions with nature and place. Her poised, ironic poems are remarkable for their dry wit, conversational tone and psychological insight, unmasking the deceptions of love or unravelling family lives"--Inside front flap.

Early poems from The Eye of the Hurricane (1964) and Tigers (1967). Note on Propertius -- Flight, with mountains -- Beauty abroad -- Knife-play -- Instructions to vampires -- Incident -- Unexpected visit -- For Andrew -- For a vive-year-old -- Comment -- Miss Hamilton in London -- The man who x-rayed an orange -- Composition for words and paint -- Regression -- I Ride on my high bicycle -- Parting is such sweet sorrow -- Hauntings -- Advice to a discarded lover -- The water below -- Think before you shoot -- The pangolin -- High Tide in the Garden (1971). A game -- Bogyman -- Clarendon Whatmough -- A surprise in the peninsula -- Purple shining lilies -- Afterwards -- Happy ending -- Being blind -- Grandma -- Ngauranga Gorge Hill -- Stewart Island -- On a son returned to New Zealand -- Saturday -- Trees -- Country station -- The three-toed sloth -- Against coupling -- Mornings after -- Gas -- The Scenic Route (1974). The bullaun -- Please identify yourself -- Richey -- The voyage out -- Train from the Hook of Holland -- Nelia -- Moa Point -- Briddes -- The famous traitor -- Script -- In memoriam: James K. Baxter -- St John’s School -- Pupation -- The drought breaks -- Kilpeck -- Feverish -- Folie à deux -- Acris hiems -- December morning -- Showcase -- Over the edge -- The net -- An illustration to Dante -- Tokens -- Naxal -- Bodnath -- External service -- Flying back -- Near Creeslough -- Kilmacrenan -- Glenshane -- The Inner Harbour (1979). Beginnings. Future Work -- Our Trip to the Federation -- Mr Morrison -- Things -- A Way Out -- Prelude -- Accidental -- A Message -- Proposal for a Survey -- Fairy-tale -- At the Creative Writing Course -- Endings. The Ex-Queen Among the Astronomers -- Off the Track -- Beaux Yeux -- Send-off -- In focus -- Letter from Highgate Wood -- Poem ended by a death -- Having no mind for the same poem -- Syringa -- The thing itself. Dry spell -- Visited -- The Soho Hospital for Women -- Variations on a theme of Horace -- A walk in the snow -- A day in October -- House-talk -- Foreigner -- In the Dingle Peninsula -- In the Terai -- River -- To and fro. The inner harbour -- Immigrant -- Settlers -- Going back -- Instead of an interview -- Londoner -- To Marilyn from London -- Below Loughrigg (1979). Below Loughrigg -- Three rainbows in one morning -- Binoculars -- Paths -- Mid-point -- The spirit of the place -- The Vale of Grasmere -- Letter to Alistair Campbell -- Declensions -- Weathering -- Going out from Ambleside -- Selected Poems (1983). In the Unicorn, Ambleside --Downstream -- The hillside -- This ungentle music -- The ring -- Corrosion -- 4 May, 1979 -- Madmen -- Shakespeare’s hotspur -- Nature table -- Revision -- Influenza -- Crab -- Eclipse -- On the border -- The Prize-winning poem -- An emblem --Piano Concerto in E flat major -- Villa Isola Bella -- Lantern slides -- Dreaming -- Street song -- Across the moor -- Bethan and Bethany -- Blue glass -- Mary Magdalene and the birds -- Hotspur (1986). Hotspur -- Notes -- The Incident Book (1986). Uniunea Scriitorilor -- Leaving the Tate -- The bedroom window -- The chiffonier -- Tadpoles -- For Heidi with blue hair -- The keepsake -- England’s glory -- The genius of Surrey -- Loving Hitler -- Schools. Halfway Street, Sidcup -- St Gertrude’s, Sidcup -- Scalford School -- Salfords, Surrey -- Outwood -- On the school bus -- Earlswood -- Scalford again -- Neston -- Chippenham -- Tunbridge Wells -- The high tree -- Telling tales. Drowning -- ‘Personal oem’ -- An epitaph -- Being taken from the place -- Accidents -- On the land -- Icon -- Drawings -- The telephone -- Incidentals. Excavations -- Pastoral -- Kissing -- Double-take -- Choices -- Thatcherland. Street scene, London N2 -- Gentlemen’s hairdressers -- Post office -- Demonstration -- Witnesses -- Last song -- Time-Zones (1991). Counting -- Libya -- What may happen -- My father -- Cattle in mist -- Toads -- Under the law -- Wren song -- Next door -- Heliopsis scaberrimus -- House-martins -- Wildlife -- Turnip-heads -- The batterer -- Roles -- Happiness -- Coupling -- The greenhouse effect -- The last moa -- Creosote -- Central time -- The breakfast program -- From the demolition zone -- On the way to the castle -- Romania -- Causes. The farm -- Aluminium -- A hymn to friendship -- Smokers for celibacy -- Mrs Fraser’s frenzy -- Meeting the comet -- Looking Back (1997). I. Where they lived -- Framed -- The Russian -- 227 Peel Green Road -- Nellie -- Mary Derry -- Moses Lambert: The facts -- Samuel Joynson -- Amelia -- Barber -- Flames -- Water -- A haunting -- The wars -- Sub sepibus -- Anne Welby -- Beanfield -- Ancestor to devotee -- Frances -- At Great Hampden -- At Baddesley Clinton -- Traitors -- Swings and roundabouts -- Peter Wentworth in heaven -- II. Tongue sandwiches -- The pilgrim fathers -- Paremata -- Camping -- Bed and breakfast -- Rats -- Stockings -- A political kiss -- An apology -- Festschrift -- Offerings -- Danger: swimming and boating prohibited -- Risks -- Blue footprints in the snow -- Summer in Bucharest -- Moneymore -- The voices -- Willow Creek -- Giggling -- Trio -- The video -- New Poems (2000). Easter -- High society -- For Meg -- Visiting angel -- It’s done this! -- Kensington Gardens -- Dragon Talk (2010). Dragon Talk -- My first twenty years. Kuaotunu -- Linseed -- Illiterate -- Food -- Lollies -- Rangiwahia -- Drury goodbyes -- 3 September 1939 -- Sidcup, 1940 -- My first letter -- Ambulance attendant -- Off duty at the depot -- Just in case -- Fake fur -- A rose tree -- Glass -- Casein -- Glitterwax -- Bananas -- Clay -- The Mill Stream -- Morrison shelter -- Direct hit -- Mr Dolman -- Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar -- Frant -- Biro -- Woodside Way -- Sidcup again -- August, 1945 -- Signature -- On the SS Arawa -- Unrationed -- The table -- Back from the war -- Temporary -- Strangers on a tram -- Her first ball -- Precautions -- Next. Miramar -- Summer pudding -- Lost -- That butterfly -- An observation -- Outside the crematorium -- A petition -- To the robins -- A garland for Rosa -- Fast forward -- Glass Wings (2013). At the crossing -- For Michael at 70 -- 80th birthday card for Roy -- Finding Elizabeth Rainbow -- Spuggies -- Fox -- The saucer -- The belly dancer -- Ingeburg -- Alfred -- Match girl -- Alumnae Notes -- Nominal aphasia -- Walking stick -- Macular degeneration -- Mrs Baldwin -- Charon -- Having sex with the dead -- Testators. Robert Harington, 1558 -- Anthony Cave, 1558 -- Alice Adcock, 1673 -- Luke Sharpe, 1704 -- William Clayton, 1725 -- James Heyes, 1726 -- Henry Eggington, 1912 -- William Dick Mackley -- The translator -- Intestate -- Campbells. Elegy for Alistair -- Port Charles -- What the 1950s were like -- The royal visit -- The professor of music -- Coconut matting -- Epithalamium -- A novelty -- My life with arthropods. Wet feet -- Dung Beetle -- Caterpillars -- Stag Beetle -- Praying Mantis -- Flea -- Hoppy -- Stick Insects -- To the Mosquitoes of Auckland -- Crayfish -- Slaters -- Ella’s Crane-Flies -- Orb Web -- My Grubby Little Secret -- In Provence -- Unmentionable -- Phobia -- Blow Flies -- Bat Soup -- Lepidoptera -- Bees’ Nest -- Dragonfly -- The land ballot. Where the farm was -- The sower -- The pioneer -- Bedtime story -- Sam's diary -- District News, I -- This fencer -- This lovely glen -- Migrants -- A Manchester child -- Baggage -- Celebrations -- The school -- Mr Honore -- District news, II -- The school journal -- Fruit -- Mount Pirongia surveyed -- The obvious solution -- Milk -- The bush fire -- Beryl -- Cousins -- Telegraphese -- The family Bible -- Bush fairies -- Settlers' Museum -- Evenings with mother -- The buggy -- Eight things Eva will never do again -- Eva remembers her two brothers called James -- Eva remembers her little sisters -- The Germans -- Brown sugar -- Supporting our boys -- Amistice Day -- The way forward -- A friend of the new -- The Bible student -- A profile -- The hopeful author -- Shorthand -- District news III -- Mr. S. Adcock -- The probationer -- Te Awamutu road rant -- The sensational -- The kea gun -- Sole charge -- The plain and fancy dress ball -- The swimmer -- Visiting the ridgeways -- Reconstituting Eva -- Ragwort -- Walking off -- The roads again -- The hall, a requiem -- Barton Cottage, 1928 -- Cyril's bride -- Nostalgia trip, 1976 -- Jubilee booklet, 1989 -- The archive -- State Highway 31 -- Hoard. I. Loot -- Mnemonic -- Her usual hand -- Six typewriters -- Flat-warming party, 1958 -- The anaesthetist -- The second wedding -- The sleeping bag -- The game of 500 -- La Contessa Scalza -- North London Polytechnic -- Election, 1964 -- Kidnapped -- II. Ann Jane's husband -- Mother's knee -- Camisoles -- The march -- You, Ellen -- III. Hortus -- A spinney -- Fox-light -- Albatross -- Cheveux de Lin -- My erstwhile fans -- The bookshop -- Maulden Church meadow -- Oscar and Henry -- Real estate -- The lipstick -- Hair -- Pacifiers -- Bender -- Hot baths -- Standedge -- Hic iacet -- IV. Pakiri -- Helensville -- Ruakaka -- Blue stars -- Fowlds park -- Mercer -- Alfriston -- Thames -- Raglan -- Miramar revisited -- Carterton -- Tinakori road -- High rise -- The old government buildings -- Lotus land.