[The] poet, and this I think applies to James Tate, can slip into a private world where his unique juxtapositions and fresh imagery are often meaningless to the reader…. There is no way the poet can judge the potential of his imagery except in relation to other elements of the poem. And here is the main problem I find with Tate's poetry [in Viper Jazz]; for he works with startling phrases and uncommon imagery almost exclusively. If they don't work there's little else in the poem to save it; more importantly, with little else working—rhythm, sound—readers are denied access points to what otherwise might be effective imagery for them. The sense element of poetic composition, however, is working in Tate's poetry. The active and intelligent voice, with a self-assured casualness, is the contrary of his surreal metaphorical devices, and the dynamic of the two generates great...