SOURCE: "The Tension between Memory and Forgetting in the Poetry of Yusef Komunyakaa," in The Kenyon Review, Vol. XV, No. 4, Fall, 1993, pp. 217-22.

In the essay below, Derricotte surveys Komunyakaa's works, focusing on his major themes.

The publication of Yusef Komunyakaa's Magic City and his new and selected poems, Neon Vernacular, provide an opportunity for a detailed examination of the body of his work. Nine collections have been published since his first, Dedications & Other Darkhorses, in 1977. All the poems discussed here can be found in Neon Vernacular, except those from Magic City. Quite simply, Komunyakaa is one of the most extraordinary poets writing today. This review will consider the characteristics of the voice in four of his books, its style, intent, and the possible reasons for changes in that voice.

"It's truth we're after," Komunyakaa says in "Safe Subjects," a poem from his third book, Copacetic. But it...