James Tate is a poet of fine intuitive intelligence. His quick-hit/near-miss use of the poetic punch line has led him into wider imaginative territory and more cul-de-sacs than any other poet of his generation. His risks are a vital part of the take. That is why, for a lot of readers, Tate presents problems. He is a genius of the double take, double-think, whether it is humor needling despair or platitude succumbing to perception. He can edit an experience down to its most evocative chord…. But Tate can also be an adolescent, unable or unwilling to resist the easy turn, the silly contrivance, Rimbaud at thirteen…. Both categories are from the poet's latest collection, Viper Jazz. And although this new book, on the whole, represents Tate's most mature work, it still suggests that certain destructive impulses in much of the earlier poetry have yet to be resolved...