{"product_id":"the-natural-order-of-things-poems-donika-kelly","title":"The Natural Order of Things: Poems \/\/\/ Donika Kelly","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWhat does a life look like on the other side of survival, and can the one who survived come to recognize that she did?\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDonika Kelly’s poetry is known for its resonant, unflinching confrontations with trauma and inheritance, translated through myth and nature. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Natural Order of Things\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e expands these explorations into a new realm: one defined by joy and connection. It is an ode to companionship with people, animals, and our planet, and reveals the reparative power of intimacy. In poems inventive, playful, and formally nimble, Kelly pays homage to the voices and people she comes from, the songs of her lineage. Other poems follow the early stirrings of love to erotic transcendence with the lover and the self. Throughout, Kelly finds mirror and marvel in nature, art, and precious friendships. Though it once seemed impossible, she realizes a surprising place for herself, a rightness in the larger world.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Natural Order of Things\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e is a brilliant and moving book, one that reaches toward equilibrium and something like happiness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cem\u003eObserve the baby hippo,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eearly born in hay over concrete,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003estumbling and new in its enclosure:\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eTaut skin and fat and awkward steps—\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eit stumbles under a fluorescent sun\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eand nearly into the white walls.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHippo baby, little river horse,\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eyou should be in a river.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eO Donika, you should be in love.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e—from “A Poem to Remind Myself of the Natural Order of Things”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBIO\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDonika Kelly \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eis the author of \u003ci\u003eBestiary\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Hurston\/Wright Legacy Award and the Kate Tufts Discovery Award, and \u003ci\u003eThe Renunciations\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the Anisfield Wolf Book Award and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eREVIEWS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“Kelly’s inquisitive, lyrical poems contemplate the phenomenon of connection: between lovers; between human, animal, earth, and cosmos; between past and present.” \u003cb\u003e-- \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“With two revelatory collections famous for their cohesion in both content and form, Kelly seeks out a more profound wholeness in her marvelous third. Poems respond to performances, exhibitions, and workshops, feeling collaborative and born of pleasure and challenge.” \u003cb\u003e-- \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePoetry Northwest\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Natural Order Of Things\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a beacon of love among the ashes of despair. Kelly writes a desire for life into every poem, each one seeing how the chips keep landing on the table in the same way and how she can choose to keep writing towards something more hopeful anyway.” \u003cb\u003e-- Andrew Jones,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Pittsburgh-Gazette\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e“In her dazzling latest, Kelly (\u003ci\u003eThe Renunciations\u003c\/i\u003e) celebrates the endurance of life, love, and art, examining the porous boundaries between all living things. . . . With remarkable skill and depth, Kelly poses penetrating questions about memory and memorializing, self-reinvention, and finding liberation in a world that is increasingly hostile to the concept. It’s an unforgettable addition to a fantastic poet’s oeuvre.” \u003cb\u003e-- \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(starred review)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e[P]  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cem\u003eGraywolf Press  \/  October 07, 2025\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e0.3\" H x 9.0\" L x 5.8\" W (0.35 lbs) 72 pages\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Macmillan","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":44876378800304,"sku":"9781644453599","price":17.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0515\/3832\/9776\/files\/THENATURALORDEROFTHINGS.jpg?v=1765371441","url":"https:\/\/checkout.bembrooklyn.com\/products\/the-natural-order-of-things-poems-donika-kelly","provider":"BEM | books \u0026 more (Online)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}