That Little Something Book

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would when I was thumbing through it. The length of each poem is good and it reads easy enough, but the gems for me were few and far between. It felt like there were boundaries around each poem and even though he would sometimes stick a toe out, he would remain inside where it was safe and publishable. That is, he's a good poet and I could see how he would fit right into the writing community, but to me, that's not enough. I like to see poets leap into the fire, and jump out of their secure and dependable margins that are a sure "shoe-in" for awards and publications. I want there to be something at risk. Poetry is such an emotional experience, I want to be moved.

Many of his poems were nostalgic and reflective. "Walking" kicked off the book and was thoughtful. "The Elevator is Out of Order" continues the pace, but with a surprising dash of sexuality: "The one who let you feel her breasts/Vanished upstairs. The name is not familiar,/But the scratches of her nails are." I really liked the end of "Dramatic Evenings" (one of the best poems, I thought): "And watch the flakes come down/Languidly, one at a time,/On the broken bird feeder and the old dog's grave." "Devil and Eve" was quite clever. I really loved "Impersonator of Blank Walls": "In school you liked erasers/More than you did pencils" - the whole thing was pretty brilliant. "Listen" was dark, but captivating: "One can hear a fire engine/In the distance,/But not the cries for help". "To the Reader" made me smile and was another clever one.

Sometimes I thought his poems were a bit pretentious, which is, perhaps, why his book is a whopping $23 instead of the usual $15 or $7 (it was hard cover, but still, for 73 pages, I find that pretty expensive). Some lines that struck me as such include: "Wine had bloodied your lips and tongue", "The stars were lit like candles" (Wonders of the Invisible World), "Bring a whiff of freshly cut roses//And the sight of men in black/In a hurry to lower the heavy coffin/So it can ride Satan's luxury train" (Come Winter), "That sleepwalking waiter/Carrying plates of burgers and fries,/Is he coming to our table,/Or is he going to walk out of this place?/He's going to walk out" (The Late Game), "The season of fabulous feasts is coming./Mouthwatering dishes of new evils/Are on the way to your table" (Gourmets of Tragedies).


Bottomline: Some gems, but not my style.