The Spoils

“Reading Mathys, one remembers that poetry isn't a dalliance, but a way of sorting through life-or-death situations.”—Los Angeles Times

Beginning with the delivery of a diplomatic soccer ball to Henry Kissinger and culminating in a transformative road trip through the Deep South, these three poem cycles navigate the contradictions of modern life and morality. From exploring the deification of athletes and statesmen to considering the instincts that lead a sea turtle to nest in a Wal-Mart parking lot, Mathys revels in exploding the lyrical terrain of paradox.

An Ohio native, Ted Mathys is the author of Forge. He has lived and worked in Berlin, Hong Kong, and New York and currently studies law and diplomacy at Tufts University.