Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents vii
3. Acknowledgments ix
4. Abbreviations xi
5. Introduction: 'the slight silver key' 1
6. The Dainty Monsters: The Poetry of Myth and Evasion 25
7. Covers 55
8. the man with seven toes: Point Blank 58
9. Titles 72
10. Rat Jelly: 'right to the end of an experience' 75
11. Epigraphs 113
12. There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do: Transition 117
13. Canon I 136
14. Secular Love: It Runs in the Family 139
15. Canon II 162
16. Handwriting: The Poetry of Return 165
17. Last Word: Ondaatje on Poetry 188
18. Notes 195
19. Bibliography 207
20. Index 215