The art of love

Kenneth Koch was like a 20th century Walt Whitman with a goofy sense of humor. The poems in this volume -- only eight of them! -- have rambling, expansive poems with titles like "The Art of Poetry" and "The Art of Love," and seem to contain every thought that flitted through Koch's head over the course of a long night of conviviality. His advice is comical but sincerely felt, as when he says "To learn of cunnilingus at age fifty speaks to a life ill-spent." He's uninhibited and wild to entertain you, though when he advises you to tie up your girlfriend and fold her into an airplane, perhaps you might think this a bit much (as I do). -- from (March 10, 2014).