Orphan Hours is a book of reconciliation, of coming to terms with time in its most personal and memorable manifestations, and of learning the wisdom of what cannot be changed. The urgency of the elegy has been absorbed by an acceptance of the detail, texture, and small moments that constitute and enrich mortality.

from "Lapsed Meadow"

I remember, in Ohio, fields of wastes of nature,
lost pasture, fallow clearings, buckwheat
and fireweed and broken sparrow nests,
especially in the summer, in the fading hilltop sun,
when you could lose yourself by simply lying down.
Who will find you, who will call you home now, at dusk,
with the dry tips of the goldenrod confused
with a little wind, filling in what's left of the light.

About the Author
Stanley Plumly (1939-2019) authored eleven books of poetry, including the National Book Award finalist Old Heart, and four books of nonfiction. His honors include the Paterson Poetry Prize and Truman Capote Award for Literary Criticism, among others. Plumly was a Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland as well Maryland's poet laureate from 2009 to 2018.

Reviews
"Plumly is a master of tone. His 'I' is not noisy, not flashy, not there to steal the show. The 'I' of his poems is intent on seeing something other than the self: bird, sky, tree, leaf. . . . Each poem invites you."" -- Dallas Morning News
"Not to be missed." -- Library Journal



Book Information
ISBN 9780393346626
Author Stanley Plumly
Format Paperback
Page Count 112
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 125g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 10mm