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keeb's review
5.0
The voice is different than what I’m used to, and I didn’t like the first poem, and therefore put off reading it because I didn’t anticipate liking the rest. But most of the poems were strikingly thoughtful and beautiful. Robert writes like a person who loves words and and has a deep appreciation for nature. Maybe that’s what some people mean when they say he is old fashioned. I do think that we encounter that voice and perspective in poetry less these days. His work was full of wonder for our planet and that feels very fresh to me. Contemporary poetry is often exceptionally inward looking in my opinion.
It is also so unusual to read someone like him! He is over 50, a white man living in Idaho who likes to backpack and live remotely who is empathetic to grasshoppers. He sings and plays guitar for deer and butterflies, admires owls and wolves, and writes about taking all the AK-47’s to the furnace to be made into better, kinder objects. He gets distracted by the biggest, sexiest pair of red high heels in the thrift store, so he tries them on himself and writes about the experience. In this poem he reflects on the beauty and power the former owner had (a large woman or man) and how wonderful they must have been, how they must have danced the night away. He imagines being a lucky dance partner of this person in a daydream. He is an American man who, when observing a statue of Perseus holding Medusa’s head, reads it like a feminist, suggesting that Perseus, both himself and his manhood, are just such a small part (hee hee) in the much more interesting story of Medusa herself. The way these thoughts come to him feels so guileless and natural. Often poetry on such topics can feel contrived and posturing. I really was surprised by him and enjoyed his work tremendously!
It is also so unusual to read someone like him! He is over 50, a white man living in Idaho who likes to backpack and live remotely who is empathetic to grasshoppers. He sings and plays guitar for deer and butterflies, admires owls and wolves, and writes about taking all the AK-47’s to the furnace to be made into better, kinder objects. He gets distracted by the biggest, sexiest pair of red high heels in the thrift store, so he tries them on himself and writes about the experience. In this poem he reflects on the beauty and power the former owner had (a large woman or man) and how wonderful they must have been, how they must have danced the night away. He imagines being a lucky dance partner of this person in a daydream. He is an American man who, when observing a statue of Perseus holding Medusa’s head, reads it like a feminist, suggesting that Perseus, both himself and his manhood, are just such a small part (hee hee) in the much more interesting story of Medusa herself. The way these thoughts come to him feels so guileless and natural. Often poetry on such topics can feel contrived and posturing. I really was surprised by him and enjoyed his work tremendously!
kristyderp's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
I rarely read poetry so I don't feel qualified to give it a rating, but this was an interesting venture out of my comfort zone. Some of the poems had eloquent, beautiful wording, while others were more crass and casual with a sense of humor. I liked the poems about interactions with wildlife, my favorite being "Why Should There Be Stars?".
Much of the poetry is stream of consciousness, very personal and specific to the author, and there is a meta element where many of the poems are about poetry itself. I may not have grasped everything the poet was trying to say but there were several snippets that made sense to me in a profound way.
Much of the poetry is stream of consciousness, very personal and specific to the author, and there is a meta element where many of the poems are about poetry itself. I may not have grasped everything the poet was trying to say but there were several snippets that made sense to me in a profound way.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Blood, Medical content, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Adult themes, including as bodily fluids are mentioned. There is some gore, particularly in one poem describing
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