These brief, often biographical verses from one of New Zealand's foremost poets are peppered with playful surprises, worldly observations, and literary allusions while reflecting a painterly eye for vivid scenic detail. Sometimes playful, sometimes cinematic, these poems dazzle, taking in the measured eye of a fine short-story writer, the awareness of a critic, the details of a fine novelist and essayist, and the strict observance of form that comes with being a continual teacher--and therefore eternal student--of language.