In The Heavy-Petting Zoo, the male of the species is shown in all his preening glory, his growling and posturing exposed but also given marks out of ten. The book gives us the world according to Clare Pollard, an insider's in-your-face portrayal of the tarnished lives of today's bright young things.
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Bury me in desert where sand sweepsa single magnificent gesture,where there are no trivialities ortangles, no sticky knots of feeling
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(Bloodaxe Books, 1 January 1998, paperback, 64 pages, bought from Borders Books, now closed)
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The Heavy-Petting Zoo is how I discovered and grew to love the poet's work. I came across a review of it somewhere and learned the poem's were written when Pollard was still in school. Pollard is around my age and I was in awe when I heard this. I bought a copy and the rest is history. I love all of the poems in this collection, how raw, visceral and beautiful they and how I relate to them. This is and remains one of my favourite poetry collections of all time. I especially love the title poem, Valentine, Breakfast Poem, Surrender, A Friday Night at the End of a Millenium and The Last Love Poem. I'd recommend this.
