Bland Ambition : And Other Poems

With witty observations drawn from his Jewish roots and love of nature, poet Michael Pierce writes of the world with warmth and irony as one of the finest Anglo-Jewish poets of the postwar era.

He captures a Jewish world with great charm and humor that is recognizable to any American, as in the poem "Shabbat, " in which he describes glimpsing through curtained windows and seeing Hasidic Jews dancing while on his way out to a disco on a Saturday night.

His self-deprecating humor is revealed in wry memories, particularly of former girlfriends and his reflections on how major illness has curtailed his energy and verve.