2005 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry

Ted Kooser is a master of metaphor, a poet who deftly connects disparate elements of the world and communicates with absolute precision. Critics call him a "haiku-like imagist" and his poems have been compared to Chekov's short stories. In Delights and Shadows, Kooser draws inspiration from the overlooked details of daily life. Quotidian objects like a pegboard, creamed corn and a forgotten salesman's trophy help reveal the remarkable in what before was a merely ordinary world.

"Kooser documents the dignities, habits and small griefs of daily life, our hunger for connection, our struggle to find balance." Poetry

"Though he focuses as often as [Wendell] Berry on memories, Kooser is less historically and more personally conscious....And Berry has come up with no finer metaphor than that of Kooser's 'Memory,' in which recall is a benignly ruthless tornado." Booklist

"There is much to celebrate in these small-town poems about small-town people and a reminder to all of us how America's voice and warm wisdom resonate from the middle. Highly recommended." Library Journal

Kooser connects disparate elements of daily life to reveal the remarkable in what was before an ordinary world.

Ted Kooser is a master of metaphor, a poet who deftly connects disparate elements of the world and communicates with absolute precision. Critics call him a "haiku-like imagist"and his poems have been compared to Chekov's short stories. In Delights and Shadows, Kooser draws inspiration from the overlooked details of daily life. Quotidian objects like a pegboard, creamed corn and a forgotten salesman's trophy help reveal the remarkable in what before was a merely ordinary world.

"Kooser documents the dignities, habits and small griefs of daily life, our hunger for connection, our struggle to find balance."-Poetry

Ted Kooser is the author of eight collections of poems and a prose memoir. He lives on a small farm in rural Nebraska.

Ted Kooser is the author of nine books of poetry and a prose memoir. He has received numerous awards for his work, including a 2002 Friends of American Writers Award and the Hugo Prize. A retired insurance executive, Kooser now works as a visiting professor at the University of Nebraska.

I. Walking on Tiptoe
Walking on Tiptoe 5
Tattoo 6
At the Cancer Clinic 7
Student 8
Gyroscope 9
New Cap 10
Cosmetics Department 11
Biker 12
The Old People 13
In January 14
A Rainy Morning 15
Mourners 16
Skater 17
II. The China Painters
The China Painters 21
Memory 22
Ice Cave 24
Mother 25
A Jar of Buttons 27
Dishwater 28
Depression Glass 29
Zenith 30
The Necktie 31
Applesauce 32
Creamed Corn 34
Flow Blue China 35
Father 36
Pearl 37
Old Cemetery 41
A Winter Morning 42
III. Bank Fishing for Bluegills
Bank Fishing for Bluegills 45
Four Civil War Paintings by Winslow Homer 46
Turkey Vultures 51
Pegboard 52
At the County Museum 53
Casting Reels 55
Horse 56
Praying Hands 57
Lobocraspis griseifusa 58
Home Medical Dictionary 59
In the Hall of Bones 60
A Jacquard Shawl 61
Telescope 62
A Box of Pastels 63
Old Lilacs 64
Grasshoppers 65
The Beaded Purse 66
IV. That Was I
That Was I 71
Screech Owl 73
A Spiral Notebook 74
The Early Bird 75
Starlight 76
On the Road 77
A Washing of Hands 78
After Years 79
Garage Sale 80
Surviving 81
A Glimpse of the Eternal 82
Tectonics 83
A Happy Birthday 84
About the Author 87