Hands Washing Water

Fiction & Literature, Poetry
Cover of the book Hands Washing Water by Chris Abani, Copper Canyon Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Chris Abani ISBN: 9781619320703
Publisher: Copper Canyon Press Publication: December 18, 2012
Imprint: Copper Canyon Press Language: English
Author: Chris Abani
ISBN: 9781619320703
Publisher: Copper Canyon Press
Publication: December 18, 2012
Imprint: Copper Canyon Press
Language: English


“Chris Abani’s poetry resonates with a devastating beauty which cuts through to the heart of human strength.”—Pride


Hands Washing Water is Chris Abani's fourth poetry collection—a mischievous book of displacement, exile, ancestry, and subversive humor. The central section, “Buffalo Women,” is a Civil War correspondence between lovers that plays on our assumptions about war, gender, morality, and politics.


Sweetest Henri,
I know we promised to be honest,
one to the other, but your recent missive,
though welcome as any epistle from you,
filled me with a dread that clung
like dampness to wet wood. I am terrified
for your immortal soul, dear sweet Henri.
This mad war of Lincoln is infecting you
with a sickness too depraved to even address. . .

Abani’s writing is ruthless, at times traumatic, and consistently filled with surprising twists and turns.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart


“Chris Abani’s poetry resonates with a devastating beauty which cuts through to the heart of human strength.”—Pride


Hands Washing Water is Chris Abani's fourth poetry collection—a mischievous book of displacement, exile, ancestry, and subversive humor. The central section, “Buffalo Women,” is a Civil War correspondence between lovers that plays on our assumptions about war, gender, morality, and politics.


Sweetest Henri,
I know we promised to be honest,
one to the other, but your recent missive,
though welcome as any epistle from you,
filled me with a dread that clung
like dampness to wet wood. I am terrified
for your immortal soul, dear sweet Henri.
This mad war of Lincoln is infecting you
with a sickness too depraved to even address. . .

Abani’s writing is ruthless, at times traumatic, and consistently filled with surprising twists and turns.

More books from Copper Canyon Press

Cover of the book Moment to Moment by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Horses Where the Answers Should Have Been by Chris Abani
Cover of the book War of the Foxes by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Upgraded to Serious by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Bender by Chris Abani
Cover of the book During by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Selected Poems by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Preliminary Report by Chris Abani
Cover of the book A Distant Center by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Everything Begins Elsewhere by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Ikkyu: Crow With No Mouth by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Orpheus & Eurydice by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Flies by Chris Abani
Cover of the book Tumbling Toward the End by Chris Abani
Cover of the book The Dream of Reason by Chris Abani
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy