The Naked Man is a new book of poems celebrating both the Fool (as puer aeternus ) and all those who have loved him. Order it here.

The author, Christine Irving, tells us, “everything he encounters on his journey will conspire to destroy his innocence.” But, the Naked Man of Irving’s poems seems stuck at the beginning of his journey, unwilling to make a leap of faith . . . for somewhere the Devil lurks.

Women will recognize the Naked Man—he’s the one peeing on an oak tree—as he whom our friends and mothers have always warned us against. Men will remember those “almost” moments just before civilization reclaimed them.

There are plenty of allusions to the tarot. Can you recognize in yourself the tarot archetypes he cavorts among, upsetting all their plans? Luckily, Irving offers rituals & prophylactics to keep us safe—perhaps . . .  But, what happens when Eros meets Kali—when the irresistible meets the devourer?

These poems will delight, making you laugh out loud. They may bring up longings you’d forgotten, or they may remind you who you really are. This is a book for Jungians, tarotists, pagans and lovers. Here’s one small sample:

hung over

stubble faced, dirty
scuffed and unbuffed
in a two-day shirt
stinking of dog
sweat and sake
the Naked Man
flops across my threshold
begging another poem

BOOK SIGNING PARTY
Christine Irving
Reads from her new book of poems

The Naked Man

Saturday, January 22, 2011
4-6 PM
Sierra Mountain Coffee Roasters
671 Maltman Drive, Grass Valley CA
(I’ll be speaking briefly on the Fool in the Tarot)