“This astonishing young poet—still in her twenties—is surely destined to be one of the crucial voices of her generation.”—Michael Silverblatt, Bookworm

Composed in the direct, accessible, consciousness-piercing style readers of Ariana Reines’ first two books are wildly enamored of, Mercury comprises a group of long poems. These interlocking works speak to the substance and essence of what is said, transmitted, transacted, “communicated” between persons. Reines proposes that substance and essence are opposites, and explores this in contexts including commercial cinema and internet porn.

Your music makes me feel lonely
Your music makes me feel lonely
Your music
Makes me feel lonely
Picking a lemon
Late at night
My heart tightens
I fear nature
Your music makes me feel lonely
I must be responsible for it
I’m alive
I have this hair helmet on
I’m so alive
I say yes to the megaplex
You say it’s awful isn’t it awful
I say yeah
So what. Something sentimental
This place
I agree
Huge
We’re gonna go into the movie
. . .
The day is long enough
The day is long enough
The day is so long enough

To contain all this and more