The Difference Between

The Difference Between is a collection of 66 poems that invite comparisons between seemingly disparate words, ideas, or things. Sparked by the poem “The Importance of the Whale in the Field of Iris” by Pattiann Rogers, this series similarly pairs and juxtaposes to create surprising parallels and previously unimagined relationships. While most these poems start with the anaphora, “The Difference Between,” by the end of the book it’s clear that this is as much a confirmation of our interconnectedness, an exploration of what Whitman calls the “vast similitude” that spans, holds, and encloses everything.