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Wade in the Water: Poems
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Poetry (2018)The extraordinary new poetry collection by Tracy K. Smith, the Poet Laureate of the United States
In Wade in the Water, Tracy K. Smith boldly ties America’s contemporary moment both to our nation’s fraught founding history and to a sense of the spirit, the everlasting. These are poems of sliding scale: some capture a flicker of song or memory; some collage an array of documents and voices; and some push past the known world into the haunted, the holy. Smith’s signature voice—inquisitive, lyrical, and wry—turns over what it means to be a citizen, a mother, and an artist in a culture arbitrated by wealth, men, and violence. Here, private utterance becomes part of a larger choral arrangement as the collection widens to include erasures of The Declaration of Independence and the correspondence between slave owners, a found poem comprised of evidence of corporate pollution and accounts of near-death experiences, a sequence of letters written by African Americans enlisted in the Civil War, and the survivors’ reports of recent immigrants and refugees. Wade in the Water is a potent and luminous book by one of America’s essential poets.
In Wade in the Water, Tracy K. Smith boldly ties America’s contemporary moment both to our nation’s fraught founding history and to a sense of the spirit, the everlasting. These are poems of sliding scale: some capture a flicker of song or memory; some collage an array of documents and voices; and some push past the known world into the haunted, the holy. Smith’s signature voice—inquisitive, lyrical, and wry—turns over what it means to be a citizen, a mother, and an artist in a culture arbitrated by wealth, men, and violence. Here, private utterance becomes part of a larger choral arrangement as the collection widens to include erasures of The Declaration of Independence and the correspondence between slave owners, a found poem comprised of evidence of corporate pollution and accounts of near-death experiences, a sequence of letters written by African Americans enlisted in the Civil War, and the survivors’ reports of recent immigrants and refugees. Wade in the Water is a potent and luminous book by one of America’s essential poets.
75 pages, Hardcover
First published April 3, 2018
196 people are currently reading
8055 people want to read
About the author
Tracy K. Smith
39 books824 followersTracy K. Smith is the author of Wade in the Water; Life on Mars, winner of the Pulitzer Prize; Duende, winner of the James Laughlin Award; and The Body’s Question, winner of the Cave Canem Poetry Prize. She is also the editor of an anthology, American Journal: Fifty Poems for Our Time, and the author of a memoir, Ordinary Light, which was a finalist for the National Book Award. From 2017 to 2019, Smith served as Poet Laureate of the United States. She teaches at Princeton University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 569 reviews
November 29, 2017
I mean, she's the poet laureate for a reason. These are beautiful poems. I particularly enjoyed the erasure poems of black civil war soldiers seeking compensation. On a craft level, these poems are impeccable. They didn't have the emotional resonance I often look for in poetry but I know brilliance when I read it and this book is brilliant.
April 18, 2018
With a reading plan in place to complete a number of fun and rewarding challenges, 2018 looked bright. The year actually got off to a great start and then real life got in the way. This year is being devoted to family celebrations and just being with family so reading is going to be at a premium. I opted out of all of my challenges, and culled my to read pile down to just those books that I am genuinely interested in or are what I called award winning game changers.
One of these game changers is Wade in the Water: Poems, a new collection by current US Poet Laureate, Tracy K Smith. Last year I read her other three collections as well as her memoir and was mesmerized by her work. Smith is deserving of her role as poet laureate and is one of the leading poets of this generation. If you haven't read any of her prior work, I encourage everyone to read one or all of her poetry collections. Smith's work is that good.
Analyzing her work will not do justice to it but I will say that after not reading for over a month these thought provoking poems were a compromise to ease back into reading. She included a touching ode to her daughter written in a simple rhyming schematic and contrasted it with pieces about the current state of immigration and ethnic profiling. The most prolific work was that detailing African American soldiers during the Civil War and their ongoing postwar battle to obtain the same rights and pensions as their Caucasian contemporaries. Smith bends the line between poetry, story telling, and prose, and makes even the most basic of her poems a joy to read.
For the rest of 2018, I will be happy if I read ten specially earmarked books that I have been either looking forward to for a long time or are pure comfort reads. This year I will come to appreciate my reading as it is a luxury and if all of my reads are as gratifying as Wade in the Water: Poems, I will walk away from my reading sessions satisfied.
5 stars
One of these game changers is Wade in the Water: Poems, a new collection by current US Poet Laureate, Tracy K Smith. Last year I read her other three collections as well as her memoir and was mesmerized by her work. Smith is deserving of her role as poet laureate and is one of the leading poets of this generation. If you haven't read any of her prior work, I encourage everyone to read one or all of her poetry collections. Smith's work is that good.
Analyzing her work will not do justice to it but I will say that after not reading for over a month these thought provoking poems were a compromise to ease back into reading. She included a touching ode to her daughter written in a simple rhyming schematic and contrasted it with pieces about the current state of immigration and ethnic profiling. The most prolific work was that detailing African American soldiers during the Civil War and their ongoing postwar battle to obtain the same rights and pensions as their Caucasian contemporaries. Smith bends the line between poetry, story telling, and prose, and makes even the most basic of her poems a joy to read.
For the rest of 2018, I will be happy if I read ten specially earmarked books that I have been either looking forward to for a long time or are pure comfort reads. This year I will come to appreciate my reading as it is a luxury and if all of my reads are as gratifying as Wade in the Water: Poems, I will walk away from my reading sessions satisfied.
5 stars
June 14, 2021
It's tough when the bottom of the book's cover reads "By the Poet Laureate of the United States" (not that I wouldn't mind such baggage). Tough to live up to the expectations. And Tracy K. Smith doesn't. Not if you're looking for stop-you-in-your-tracks poems that make you want to reread just to hear the pleasant little jingle again. I've read poetry like that, and no, not a lot of that here.
The best part is Smith's erasure poetry. There's a brilliant section that must've taken a lot of work. Smith researched letters of black soldiers during the Civil War, some of them to Mr. Abraham Lincoln, even, and crafted some works that just leap with life. Ah, the voices here! These poor guys come back to life in their misery.
Another erasure poem that worked was Smith's selective erasure of The Declaration of Independence by one slave owner by the name of Thomas Jefferson. Point taken! You can read it here by scrolling down.
The best part is Smith's erasure poetry. There's a brilliant section that must've taken a lot of work. Smith researched letters of black soldiers during the Civil War, some of them to Mr. Abraham Lincoln, even, and crafted some works that just leap with life. Ah, the voices here! These poor guys come back to life in their misery.
Another erasure poem that worked was Smith's selective erasure of The Declaration of Independence by one slave owner by the name of Thomas Jefferson. Point taken! You can read it here by scrolling down.
March 24, 2019
“You want a poem to unsettle something." ◾Tracy K. Smith
Wade in the Water: Poems was my third collection by Smith, the current Poet Laureate of the United States. While I liked her earlier works of Duende and Life on Mars, this new collection is my favorite of her work.
Smith uses multiple poetic and dramatic styles - erasure poems gathered from slave correspondence in the Civil War (the whole stunning 'Unwritten' series), source materials of the Declaration of Independence ('Declaration'), and legal documents of environmental law ('Watershed') to cultivate this sense of America past and present.
I've already reread some of the poems several times... It's a stunning collection that left quite an impact on me. Highly recommended.
Wade in the Water: Poems was my third collection by Smith, the current Poet Laureate of the United States. While I liked her earlier works of Duende and Life on Mars, this new collection is my favorite of her work.
Smith uses multiple poetic and dramatic styles - erasure poems gathered from slave correspondence in the Civil War (the whole stunning 'Unwritten' series), source materials of the Declaration of Independence ('Declaration'), and legal documents of environmental law ('Watershed') to cultivate this sense of America past and present.
I've already reread some of the poems several times... It's a stunning collection that left quite an impact on me. Highly recommended.
August 20, 2025
Re-read:
Sealey Challenge 2025: 19/31
I'm so glad I re-read this one in a physical copy so that I could make annotations this time. My previous rating still stands, but I noticed this time the last section felt a bit out of place with the earlier sections. Regardless, I still really enjoyed this collection!
Sealey Challenge 2024: 4/31
This was a fascinating collection that blurs historical record and imaginative analysis of what could have been. There were a lot of events both public and private covered in this collection and I think sometimes I didn‘t fully digest every part of these poems. Yet, they‘re ones I would return to to re-examine Tracy K. Smith‘s brilliant prose.
Sealey Challenge 2025: 19/31
I'm so glad I re-read this one in a physical copy so that I could make annotations this time. My previous rating still stands, but I noticed this time the last section felt a bit out of place with the earlier sections. Regardless, I still really enjoyed this collection!
Sealey Challenge 2024: 4/31
This was a fascinating collection that blurs historical record and imaginative analysis of what could have been. There were a lot of events both public and private covered in this collection and I think sometimes I didn‘t fully digest every part of these poems. Yet, they‘re ones I would return to to re-examine Tracy K. Smith‘s brilliant prose.
April 3, 2018
Find this and other Reviews at In Tori Lex
These poems are reflect how minorities in America have grappled with racism. Each piece pulls at your senses and challenges you to think more deeply about the world around you. The history of how black people survived slavery and reconstruction is often overlooked. In the poem "Unwritten" the use of real correspondence of African Americans while fighting in the Civil War and surviving after, let's us glimpse into the deep cavern of history that has not been written about or retold. The author uses precise language to cut through our defenses and makes us think of where I our sympathies lie.
In "Theatrical Improvisation" the author uses excepts from Muslim women who were assaulted after the 2016 election and excerpts from a Nazi calling for a bloody civil war. In the poem the reader is granted a window into how people are acting out their hate to the detriment of everyone else. In this collection the poet laureate highlights her talent and uses her observations to create memorable and lasting art. Every poem packed a punch and some left me emotionally reeling.
Recommended for readers who
-want to think deeply about race relations
-enjoy poetry about African American history
-read contemporary poetry inspired by current events
I received this book from Graywolf Press in exchange for an honest review.
These poems are reflect how minorities in America have grappled with racism. Each piece pulls at your senses and challenges you to think more deeply about the world around you. The history of how black people survived slavery and reconstruction is often overlooked. In the poem "Unwritten" the use of real correspondence of African Americans while fighting in the Civil War and surviving after, let's us glimpse into the deep cavern of history that has not been written about or retold. The author uses precise language to cut through our defenses and makes us think of where I our sympathies lie.
"Can you imagine what will sound from us, what we'll rend and claim
When we find ourselves alone with all we've ever sought: our name?"
In "Theatrical Improvisation" the author uses excepts from Muslim women who were assaulted after the 2016 election and excerpts from a Nazi calling for a bloody civil war. In the poem the reader is granted a window into how people are acting out their hate to the detriment of everyone else. In this collection the poet laureate highlights her talent and uses her observations to create memorable and lasting art. Every poem packed a punch and some left me emotionally reeling.
Recommended for readers who
-want to think deeply about race relations
-enjoy poetry about African American history
-read contemporary poetry inspired by current events
I received this book from Graywolf Press in exchange for an honest review.
October 19, 2018
Current poet laureate of the United States, Tracy K. Smith's poems are food for the soul for 2018 in our current political climate. Her erasure poems are so beautiful.
July 1, 2018
Tracy K. Smith is the United States Poet Laureate. Wade in the Water is a collection of powerful poems about race, both historically, in our history of slavery specifically during the Civil War (and not only slavery but the mistreatment of the black Union soldiers) along with current examples of violence and hatred toward that which is "othered" in this country (as in African-American, Latinx, and Muslims).
Smith writes in a fascinating variety of styles, from lyrical poems to ghazels to erasure poems. The erasure or "found" poems were especially appealing to me. Smith works from a group of documents, many letters written during the Civil War by both former slaves and also slave owners. She also uses the Declaration of Independence, turning it on its head to create a witness to the violence of slavery. This technique allows many voices to be heard for themselves while shaped by the artist's craft.
I've read the collection twice so far and am ready for a third reading. Smith's work is compelling and beautiful. As well as disruptive. It forces you to grapple with issues you might think you already understood and were done with. She teaches you otherwise.
Smith writes in a fascinating variety of styles, from lyrical poems to ghazels to erasure poems. The erasure or "found" poems were especially appealing to me. Smith works from a group of documents, many letters written during the Civil War by both former slaves and also slave owners. She also uses the Declaration of Independence, turning it on its head to create a witness to the violence of slavery. This technique allows many voices to be heard for themselves while shaped by the artist's craft.
I've read the collection twice so far and am ready for a third reading. Smith's work is compelling and beautiful. As well as disruptive. It forces you to grapple with issues you might think you already understood and were done with. She teaches you otherwise.
October 9, 2020
Like love
From a lifetime ago, and mud
A dog has tracked across the floor.
This collection is blessed with myriad guises, a number of deft approaches, possibly designed to defy glib classification. Xenophobia and injustice are depicted from cover to cover but by different means. The use of actual letters from black Civil War veterans was especially effective. The insertion of the subaltern into the bureaucratic. Our arsenal of democracy appears to be depleted, our foundational myths have been found wanting. Consumption fills the vacuum. These brands have a cost, not just in terms of workplace safety but to the environment as well.
From a lifetime ago, and mud
A dog has tracked across the floor.
This collection is blessed with myriad guises, a number of deft approaches, possibly designed to defy glib classification. Xenophobia and injustice are depicted from cover to cover but by different means. The use of actual letters from black Civil War veterans was especially effective. The insertion of the subaltern into the bureaucratic. Our arsenal of democracy appears to be depleted, our foundational myths have been found wanting. Consumption fills the vacuum. These brands have a cost, not just in terms of workplace safety but to the environment as well.
Read
January 14, 2022I don’t rate poetry because I’m a noob and don’t get it.
December 24, 2020
This is my first book of poetry based on history regarding opression and war times.
The dates and the ways how people got ill-treated are portrayed well.
Some poems need to be reread; the
The poems are indeed very powerful.
Kudos👍
The dates and the ways how people got ill-treated are portrayed well.
Some poems need to be reread; the
The poems are indeed very powerful.
Kudos👍
July 23, 2018
On the whole I think now that Smith's style of poetry (lots of couplets?) doesn't do much for me. The found poems, which really seem to tell a story (like "Watershed" and "I Will Tell You the Truth About This, I Will Tell You All About It"), worked best for me and in particular I really enjoyed "Watershed". I recognized it from the article it's based on, "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" (which was a fascinating read).
October 2, 2019
Some excellent poetry by the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Some of her poetry was aligned to narrow parts of history and African American experience to move me deeply, but Ms. Smith is an amazingly creative artist.
September 15, 2018
I'm relatively new to reading contemporary poetry, and am still learning what works for me personally, and what doesn't. I spent a long time reading and re-reading the poems from this collection, hoping it would eventually click, but something about it felt removed, closed off, and I can't say it resonated with me much overall. There are a lot of different and interesting themes and topics, but I couldn't help feeling I'd prefer to read them in a different form. The few poems that I liked more were 'Deadly' (on Creation and destruction), 'Ash' (a personified haunted house), and the few domestic poems towards the end, such as '4½' (about being woken by your child in the early morning) and 'The Everlasting Self' (about a dog shaking water from itself). The historical poems, mainly on the aftermath of the American civil war, make up the bulk of the collection, and although I was interested in the topic itself, the poems themselves seemed to smother the subject. I wanted those stories to be told in another way. All in all, Smith's style was clearly not a good fit for me, but I'm glad I took the chance to try something new.
July 8, 2018
Loved this collection of poems, especially those of the second section. The erasure poem, Declaration, is immense, as is 'I Will Tell You The Truth About This, I Will Tell You All About It,' in which Smith uses sources from letters written by former slaves + veterans of the US Army.
August 19, 2023
“Is it strange to say love is a language
Few practice, but all, or near all speak?”
Favorite poems:
- A MAN’S WORLD
- WADE IN THE WATER
- DECLARATION
- THE GREATEST PERSONAL PRIVATION
- I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS, I WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT
- UNREST IN BATON ROUGE
- ETERNITY
- ASH
- REFUGE
- AN OLD STORY
Few practice, but all, or near all speak?”
Favorite poems:
- A MAN’S WORLD
- WADE IN THE WATER
- DECLARATION
- THE GREATEST PERSONAL PRIVATION
- I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH ABOUT THIS, I WILL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT
- UNREST IN BATON ROUGE
- ETERNITY
- ASH
- REFUGE
- AN OLD STORY
January 9, 2023
Working towards my poetry goal for the year.
This was a moving work of poems.
This was a moving work of poems.
January 5, 2020
Read Harder 2020 Challenge: An audiobook of poetry
I was a little skeptical of this challenge. Even though about 80% of my reading is done through audiobooks nowadays, I love to physically read poetry. I love to see the line breaks and such, and the placement of words in a poem can have as much meaning as the actual words.
That being said, I did enjoy listening to this collection of poetry. Tracy K. Smith narrates the audiobook, and this allows the listener to get a sense of how the writer wanted her works to be heard. I listened to this on a rainy day, and allowed all these gorgeous and galvanizing phrases to wash over me, seep into my mind. A great start to the new year.
I was a little skeptical of this challenge. Even though about 80% of my reading is done through audiobooks nowadays, I love to physically read poetry. I love to see the line breaks and such, and the placement of words in a poem can have as much meaning as the actual words.
That being said, I did enjoy listening to this collection of poetry. Tracy K. Smith narrates the audiobook, and this allows the listener to get a sense of how the writer wanted her works to be heard. I listened to this on a rainy day, and allowed all these gorgeous and galvanizing phrases to wash over me, seep into my mind. A great start to the new year.
May 31, 2020
THE WORLD IS YOUR BEAUTIFUL YOUNGER SISTER
Seeing her as seldom as you do, it doesn’t change,
The ire, the shame, the fists you must remember
To smooth flat just thinking what they did,
What they promised, then took—those men
Who offered to pay, to keep, the clan of them
Lording it over the others like high school boys
And their kid brothers. Men with interests to protect,
And mute marble wives. Men who let her
Beam into their faces, watching her shoulders rise,
Her astonishing new breasts, making her believe
It was she who gave permission.
They plundered her youth, then moved on.
Those awful, awful men. The ones
Whose wealth is a kind of filth.
Seeing her as seldom as you do, it doesn’t change,
The ire, the shame, the fists you must remember
To smooth flat just thinking what they did,
What they promised, then took—those men
Who offered to pay, to keep, the clan of them
Lording it over the others like high school boys
And their kid brothers. Men with interests to protect,
And mute marble wives. Men who let her
Beam into their faces, watching her shoulders rise,
Her astonishing new breasts, making her believe
It was she who gave permission.
They plundered her youth, then moved on.
Those awful, awful men. The ones
Whose wealth is a kind of filth.
January 13, 2021
Broken into three parts; this stunning collection of poetry is lyrical and deep in intensity. From motherhood to slavery to contemplation each poem sucks the reader in and deserves to be savored. Tracey K. Smith is master of contemplation and care and this slim volume of poetry conveys deep meanings. Fans of poetry will eat this up and those new to prose will find themselves in love with the written word anew.
January 11, 2020
Reflecting a range of poetic styles, including found poems and poems drawn from historical sources arranged to bring out the poetry of our lives, this volume by Tracy K. Smith deserves to be read aloud in families, groups of friends, congregations, and other communities.
April 26, 2018
A few sharp, resonant images aside, this pretty much left me cold. Most of these poems read like vertically-stacked prose.
February 23, 2019
This was beautiful.
May 8, 2018
Tracy K. Smith was appointed Poet Laureate for the United States in 2017. How lucky the United States.
Wade in the Water is her latest contribution to the wonderful world of poetry. Written mostly in non-rhyming prose, it describes and uses private experiences and public documents.
My favorite sections are borrowed from real letters written by real people during the Civil War. I have read so many books about slaves and their experiences, these poems were very real to me.
Smith is a professor at Princeton and in two of her works mentions Harrison Street. Having lived about 10 miles from Princeton in the 80's and 90's, the mention of Harrison Street made me smile.
My very favorite, though was Ash. It made a house a character with feelings and experiences and it rhymed!! (I DO like poems that rhyme).
Thank you Tracy K. Smith for your contributions to poetry and this shining example of your work.
5 stars
Wade in the Water is her latest contribution to the wonderful world of poetry. Written mostly in non-rhyming prose, it describes and uses private experiences and public documents.
My favorite sections are borrowed from real letters written by real people during the Civil War. I have read so many books about slaves and their experiences, these poems were very real to me.
Smith is a professor at Princeton and in two of her works mentions Harrison Street. Having lived about 10 miles from Princeton in the 80's and 90's, the mention of Harrison Street made me smile.
My very favorite, though was Ash. It made a house a character with feelings and experiences and it rhymed!! (I DO like poems that rhyme).
Thank you Tracy K. Smith for your contributions to poetry and this shining example of your work.
5 stars
April 22, 2018
The best around, these days. Just fantastic stuff.
May 1, 2025
read this for a class on contemporary american poetry and I must say I liked it much better than I had anticipated!!
July 26, 2020
I really liked this book of poetry because it is as Tracy says, a shortcut to conversations we should be having. For me personally, this specific collection of poems truly did help me wade into the waters with respect to race in America. She does not use a hammer but really finds lot of subtle ways to immerse our thoughts in what it means to be black in America. I felt calmed, soothed, but also provoked and challenged. Highly recommend.
February 2, 2019
Will return later to write a full review, but let it suffice to say that Tracy K. Smith is simply a genius. An utterly breathtaking collection of poetry, a few of which I dare say are even perfect.
June 5, 2023
2.5 Stars ⭐️
June 7, 2019
Another great collection from Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith. In Wade in the Water, she gets more experimental than what I saw from her in Life on Mars. Section II features some compelling erasure poems, including "Declaration," which strategically erases verbiage from the Declaration of Independence to say something new about oppression in America. "I Will Tell You the Truth about This, I Will Tell You All about It" does the same thing with letters from former slaves seeking family, seeking justice, and black Civil War soldiers seeking their service pensions. Very powerful. At the same time, Wade in the Water still offers up many of the sharp, elegant lyric poems that first made me fall in love with Smith's poetry. A few of my favorites include "Deadly" and "Ghazal," which is an ekphrastic poem, written to a series of large-scale drawings by artist Kara Walker. I especially loved "Ash" for all its sound play and what it gradually reveals about the "house" it keeps talking about.
Tracy K. Smith is a great poet for readers who love poetry, and she'd be a great one to introduce to anyone who thinks they don't like poetry. She manages to be accessible while still knocking your socks off with the highly original things she's doing with language and ideas. I plan to read everything she's ever written, or ever will write.
Tracy K. Smith is a great poet for readers who love poetry, and she'd be a great one to introduce to anyone who thinks they don't like poetry. She manages to be accessible while still knocking your socks off with the highly original things she's doing with language and ideas. I plan to read everything she's ever written, or ever will write.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 569 reviews