A review by gohawks
Letter Composed During a Lull in the Fighting by Kevin Powers

3.0

If I'm honest, I don't feel as if I have adequate tools with which to assess contemporary poetry. William Carlos Williams was as contemporary as I've gotten in school and the rules seem to change often. Nonetheless, I will endeavor to do my best here. Powers is very talented, having previously written a highly acclaimed novel which I greatly enjoyed. This is a small collection of his poetry written about his experiences, many of which have to do with the Iraq War. His most insightful, searing, and beautiful poems are the ones about his experiences with war. Somehow these are much more deeply felt than any of the other poems which are impressive in their own ways, but they feel as if they are being read from under glass with careful inspection and distance. Powers' war poems are much more naked and raw and real. Because he is so talented, I can only hope that he writes more and finds a way to connect as deeply as other subjects.