How I Joined Humanity at Last

Winner of the 1999 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and a "moving record of self discovery" (CBC Bookworld).

How I Joined Humanity at Last, David Zieroth''s fifth book of poems, explores the mid-life road to renewal and tells the story of one man''s journey toward compassion.

Zieroth''s work delves deeply into the issues that affect all of us, from relationships between children and parents and "the old blood turbulence/ of families, tribes," to the day-to-day thoughts of working life:"I want a lateral transfer/into the position of office enchanter./Think of the power/I''ll add to my workload." And beyond these concerns he also examines the roles of spirit and imagination in our daily lives: "The function of the individual/...is to provide the lightning strike/ to matter."

How I Joined Humanity at Last evokes the clarity of Zieroth''s first book, Clearings, but it also reaches a new level of maturity and depth. His poetry is concerned with inwardness, with loss and longing, with imagination and memory, and ultimately with dream work that returns us to ourselves and to a sense of community. The voice that emerges is as strong as it is haunting and compelling.