Auguries of Innocence - Patti Smith - A Short Summary & Review

Auguries of Innocence - Patti Smith - A Short Summary & Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review

New poems by Patti.

A summary:

In Auguries of Innocence, Patti Smith presents a collection of poems that reflect on art, loss, memory, politics, nature, and spiritual searching. Drawing on personal experience and cultural memory, Smith moves fluidly between the intimate and the universal, blending lyrical reflection with sharp observation.

These poems are not bound by a single theme or form. Instead, they unfold as a series of meditations, some quiet, some urgent, each shaped by Smith’s lifelong engagement with creativity, justice, and the sacredness of attention.

My favorite quote from the book:

"Negotiating a wilderness we have yet to know this is where time stops and we have none to go."

- Patti Smith, Auguries of Innocence

Questions to ponder while reading 

Is your life poetic?

Do poets, like wine, get better with age?

My review:

I’m a longtime fan of Patti Smith, and Auguries of Innocence delivers exactly what I admire most about her work: fearless curiosity and moral seriousness without rigidity. The collection is eclectic by design, moving through many perspectives without forcing them into alignment.

Smith writes as an artist who has lived fully and paid attention along the way. Her poems shift easily from tenderness to confrontation, from reverence to resistance. The variety never feels scattered; it feels lived-in.

What stands out most is the sense of openness. These poems don’t dictate meaning; they invite it. Auguries of Innocence is less about declaring answers and more about bearing witness, an approach that feels honest, generous, and deeply Patti Smith.

Can't get enough of Patti? I also recommend her memoir M Train

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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