With poems ranging from the ghazal form to free verse, Talking into the Ear of a Donkey is Robert Bly's richest and most varied collection. In the title poem, Bly addresses the "donkey"-possibly poetry itself-that has carried him through a writing life of more than six decades.

from "Talking into the Ear of a Donkey"
"What has happened to the spring,"
I cry, "and our legs that were so joyful
In the bobblings of April?" "Oh, never mind
About all that," the donkey
Says. "Just take hold of my mane, so you
Can lift your lips closer to my hairy ears."