Toxic Flora: Poems

Advance Praise for Toxic Flora:

“I like what Kimiko Hahn says about butterflies and daddy long legs and ants, and what she says about Charon the boatman and Harold the husband. She is a superb lyric poet.” —Gerald Stern



Praise for Kimiko Hahn’s previous work:

“Following the impulse of the brush, Kimiko Hahn composes a journey that is, by turns, lyrical, provocative, meditative, gritty, intuitive, revelatory, and, ultimately, unforgettable.” —Arthur Sze

“Reading Kimiko Hahn’s The Unbearable Heart, you have the sense of someone tearing the past apart and rebuilding with naked, raw hands. The work is furious, flawed and absolutely necessary.” —Adrienne Rich

“Kimiko Hahn uses the extremes of human experience to examine the deep trouble and struggles of desire, the covert ties that bind together ordinary lovers, parents, and children. Rigorous intelligence, fierce anger, and finally a deep vulnerability inform these poems.” —Mark Doty

“These are poems with a zest for everything. Kimiko Hahn has made a memorable narrative and marked it with a haunting voice.” —Eavan Boland.

"Kimiko Hahn stands as a welcome voice of experimentation and passion."--Bloomsbury Review

For Kimiko Hahn, the language and imagery of science open up magical possibilities for the poet. In her haunting eighth collection inspired by articles from the weekly “Science” section of the New York Times, Hahn explores identity, extinction, and survival using exotic tropes drawn from the realms of astrophysics, mycology, paleobotany, and other rarefied fields. With warmth and generosity, Hahn mines the world of science in these elegant, ardent poems.from “On Deceit as Survival”   Yet another species resembles   a female bumble bee,    ending in frustrated trysts—   or appears to be two fractious males   which also attracts—no surprise—   a third curious enough to join the fray.   What to make of highly evolved Beauty   bent on deception as survival—

For Kimiko Hahn, the language and imagery of science open up magical possibilities for the poet. Inspired by articles from the weekly 'Science Times' section of the New York Times, Hahn explores identity, extinction, and survival. With these elegant, ardent poems, Hahn reaffirms her position as an artist of both 'daring lyricism' (Eavan Boland) and 'rigorous intelligence' (Mark Doty).

from 'On Deceit as Survival'
   Yet another species resembles
   a female bumble bee,
   ending in frustrated trysts'"
   or appears to be two fractious males
   which also attracts'"no surprise'"
   a third curious enough to join the fray.
   What to make of highly evolved Beauty
   bent on deception as survival'"

Kimiko Hahn is the author of several books of poetry, including The Narrow Road to the Interior, The Artist's Daughter, Mosquito and Ant, and Toxic Flora. Her many honors include the American Book Award. She lives in New York City.