Water, Water is a new collection of poems by former Poet Laureate Billy Collins. The language and attention to everyday detail is extraordinary. I loved reading lines like:

"This is where I was last seen
walking to the town post office
in the shape of a white envelope
and you are forsaken on a platform,
holding an umbrella which has ceased to exist."
—From Crying in Class

I cannot recommend Water, Water highly enjoy for readers who enjoy poetry.

Every now and then, I need a good collection of poems that speak to my soul. This collection was beautiful in its rendering of everyday life. Everything in this collection felt tangible and lyrical at the same time. The imagery of everyday moments made me stop and reflect on the little things.

This was okay but kinda repetitive with no theme. I liked the idea of seeing an animal on its birthday and not knowing. Original I resonated with the goal of just “reporting on a dog or an orange” rather than his poems have some grand, Medieval theme, but then it happened over and over again and it wasn’t special anymore:

reporting on a dog or an orange

a lost dog pausing on a street light
or three lemons doing nothing in a bowl

perhaps caused by 3 oranges in a bowl
or a man out for a run
with his pug…

(3 separate poems)

*Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!*

I don't believe I've ever come across Billy Collins's poetry before this and I have to say that's kind of a shame. I really enjoyed the style of the poems in the book and wish I'd picked up some of his work sooner.
That being said, I wasn't the biggest fan of poetry until a few years back so maybe it's a null point. Either way, I really liked the poems in this one and I'm considering picking it up so I can go over the poems more carefully. There's definitely more here that I'm still missing after just reading it once. 4/5 Stars

Reading Water, Water felt like stepping into a world where everyday moments shimmer with quiet magic. Billy Collins has this remarkable way of taking ordinary experiences - things like a cat leaning over a pool or waiting for your name to be called - and turning them into something memorable. His writing made me pause, notice, and appreciate the small, often overlooked details of life.

I found myself smiling at his playful humor and reflecting on the gentle mysteries tucked into each poem. Collins’s style is so approachable, making it easy to dive into, yet every piece left me thinking. Whether you’re new to poetry or a longtime reader, I wholeheartedly recommend this collection for its warmth, wit, and ability to uncover beauty in the most unexpected places.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. If you've ever ready Billy Collins, you won't be surprised by this. He delivered on his usual style, and his poems are always relatable and easy to digest, but often with a profound message.

Billy Collins has been a favorite contemporary poet of mine ever since coming across his work in college. I'm always picking up volumes of his that I don't yet own to add to my collection, for as much as I love my ereader, poetry is one of the genres I prefer to engage with in a physical volume.

WATER, WATER is Collins' newest collection of poetry, and he again delights me with his perspective of the world and his unique ability to describe it and surprise me with his turns. From "The Cardinal," where he articulates the way being able to share with loved ones enhances our experiences of an event, to "First Typewriter," where he speculates amusingly on the outcome that could transpire were he to mistakenly confuse his typewriter cover with his parrot cover, and the resulting consequences, Collins brings readers on a pleasing journey through his creative mind. I delighted in highlighting my copy in order to remember my favorite lines and poems. 4.5 stars

(Thank you to Random House for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.)

*Water Water* by Billy Collins is a beautifully crafted collection of poems that explore the ordinary with depth and grace. Collins' signature wit and keen observations bring even the simplest moments to life, inviting readers to reflect on the everyday in a fresh way. With a mix of humor and poignancy, this collection showcases Collins’ talent for making the familiar feel profound. It’s a quick but satisfying read for poetry lovers.

In my admittedly vague memory, I seem to recall a time when Billy Collins once bore the twin burden of accessibility and popularity, which far to often means his work was written off as unworthy or dumbed down or “so simple it can’t be good” (“simple” being translated as being understood by the average person). Luckily, I think those times have passed and we’re allowed to enjoy Collins for all that he does so well. Which often means transforming the day to day moments of life into something tinged with wonder and meaning. That holds true here in his newest collection, Water, Water, though along with wonder and meaning one will probably notice that these later poems are tinged as well with influence of aging and all that entails, something unsurprising in a poet now in his eighth decade.

Collins takes notes himself his choice of topics in the early poem “Marijuana”, which opens with is declaration that “When I was young and dreamy,/I longed to be a poet,/not one with his arms/wrapped around the universe/or on his knees before a goddess,/not waving from Mount Parnassus/nor wearing a cape like Lord Byron,/rather just reporting on a dog or an orange.” His self-deprecating and tongue in cheek descriptions of his work as reportage is just one of the many ways Collins charms the reader throughout.
Similarly, his little awkward moments, “So many miscues like that these days,/as when I remarked/in a store that featured fancy pastries,/‘This isn’t your grandmother’s coffee shops!/and the girl glanced up at me/as if I were from another planet.” A cute moment that moves into a meditation on the separation of aging and the comforting commingling of life: “which of course, I was,/if the Past can be added/to the ones already orbiting the sun/including our small blue one,/which is carrying you and me/and everyone else …/in a big oval somewhere in the icy/immensity of space.”

Often Collins sets himself up against the classic concepts of “real” poets or poetry, whether it’s the above noted cape of Lordy Byron, the medieval poetry tomes with “a much bigger T/which would loom over the smaller letters/or the inspiring streets of Paris with “girls selling fruit or sweets from a cart … prostitutes circled under a street lamp … [the] solitude of the moving crowd/which would drive me to a new kind of sadness.” But, as he often returns to, “Who needs Europe?” Or those elaborate illuminated scripts when “the plain letter T will do.”

There’s a quiet, understated humor in many of these poems, a warmth suffusing nearly all, a sense of nostalgia and of time’s passing, a sense as well of not being long for this world. The poems are engaging but also thought-provoking, often with strong closes that linger beyond the word’s surface simplicity, and they nearly almost always remind the reader to pause and soak up the marvels of our allegedly mundane experiences and interactions, living in a time and place where we are so “fortunate to have people in the world like Brenda,/who know exactly what to do and do it —/nurses and firemen, eye surgeons and harbor pilots. One can include Billy Collins in that list as well.

When I saw an opportunity to read an advanced copy of Billy Collins new collection of poetry, I jumped at the chance!

Water, Water: Poems does not disappoint! I confess I have read it three times now and am on my fourth read through... I have "saved" so many poems from this collection as well... ones I have read and reread dozens more times!

If you like Billy Collins work, you will love this collection. If you have never heard of Billy Collins, this collection is a great starting point!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House for the digital copy of this work. Water, Water: Poems was published November 19, 2024.

This collection was very strong and also makes you take your time in reading it. I have only read a little bit of Collins work but liked this

Lovely poems! Collins' poetry always has such great breath and speed and ease--with vivid insights throughout. Not one of my favorites of his, but I enjoyed the collection.

I tried really hard to read this slowly, to savor each poem and page, but I blazed right through it. Collins' snapshots of daily life show us the beauty in the mundane. Will reread and recommend.

What a gorgeous book of poetry by the incomparable Billy Collins. I love the cover and so many poems in this collection. I hope you'll read it to reacquaint or discover the magic created by this artist. Thanks so much to the publisher for the gifted copy.

Billy Collins's latest volume is a return to the characteristic style his readers come to expect. Those uninitiated in Collins's free verse observational poetry will find this book refreshingly accessible and relatable. Longtime readers will enjoy the familiarity of his poetic world and the seeming mundane subjects that Collins breathes life and energy into with his poetry. One particular favorite comes early in the volume, "Ode to Joy," with an example of viewing joy in daily circumstances.

Reading this felt a little bit like having an old man chat nonsense at you on the bus. Does some of it start like it's going to sound wise, moving and profound? Sure, but then he starts clucking like a chicken and the moment's passed.

(Yes, there are actually chicken clucks in these poems).

Observational, pondering, aimless-feeling poems that really didn't strike me in any particular way except for how I wasn't really enjoying the company and was ready to move seats and be away with it.

Poetry books are difficult for me to review. We oftentimes do not read a book of poetry straight through. We pick and choose and go back and forth and the book may go unread for days or weeks until we pick it up and read again.

Collins, a former United States Poet Laureate, has chosen 60 poems for this book. In it he covers the beauties and ironies of everyday experiences. Taking simple everyday experiences and activities, he elevates the experience to something that we may remember long after the mundane event he describes. A poem that resonates for one person leaves another person feeling nothing, and so it goes.

In "Water, Water," Billy Collins once again demonstrates why he is one of America’s most beloved poets. Known for his wit, accessibility, and ability to find profundity in the everyday, Collins delivers a collection of sixty new poems here, exploring the "joys and mysteries of daily life" whether he’s reflecting on a cat drinking from a pool, pondering the enigma of a Monet painting, or imagining Adam naming animals in the Garden of Eden. Poems like *Sunday Drive* encapsulate his gift for balancing existential musings with humor, blending the profound with the playful:
“No, I drove on with the radio up loud / and the windows down, content to keep those tidings to myself, / a faithless congregation of one.”

By focusing on the mundane, Collins avoids much of the pretension often associated with contemporary poetry, opting instead for conversational language and themes that resonate universally. Yet, as he has noted in interviews, his poems often start with clarity but drift into moments of mystery, leaving readers with lingering questions or fresh perspectives. For example, in "The Monet Conundrum," Collins likens his poems to Monet’s haystacks—each unique yet interconnected, asking if they are different works or variations on the same theme. And by implication, does that question apply to all art, or even all of everyday life?

The collection explores themes of time, memory, mortality, and the small joys of existence. Religion and spirituality, too, make appearances—sometimes with reverence, other times with wry skepticism. The titular poem, "Water, Water," epitomizes Collins’ ability to weave humor and profundity, offering readers “just enough water to fill the lake exactly to the brim.”

Other standout poems include:
- "BC/AD," which humorously contemplates students’ struggles with history.
- "The Cardinal," a poignant reflection on the sacredness of private observations.
- "Deep Time," a meditation on how small human conflicts are in the expanse of time.
- "Emily Dickinson in Space," an exploration of how poetry can connect humans.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Collins is an absolute gem in the current world of poetry. His willingness to add a lighter element to his work is welcomed and appreciated and creates a poignancy that goes to the heart of a reader.

I received an advance review copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

As usual, Billy Collins' poems - these about the everyday - are wonderful. Thank-you to NetGalley, Random House, and Mr. Collins for the ARC of this title