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Monthly Archives: July 2016

July 30, 2016 · 17:06

Book Review — Song of Myself: With a Complete Commentary Song of Myself: With a Complete Commentary by Walt Whitman is a sectional breakdown of the poem with two different commentators — Ed Folsom and Christopher Merrill. Folsom teaching and research have centered on nineteenth- and twentieth-century American poetry and culture. He earned his MA and PhD from the University of Rochester and currently the Roy J. Carver Professor of English at the University of Iowa. Merrill is an American poet, essayist, journalist and translator. Currently, he serves as director of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.

“Song of Myself” is often included in Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. It has been called the core of Whitman’s poetry and something he edited throughout his life. It examines the self, the soul, America, the universe, and back down to the atoms. Whitman also openly hid references to the equality of races and sex in the poem. It reminded me of Lou Reed’s Walk on the Wild Side where censors were so worried about the reference to “colored girls” that they missed the sexual reference and caused quite a stir. Likewise, Song of Myself was not well received by social conservatives and was threatened by the Baltimore district attorney for violating obscenity laws. Whitman’s view of race and sex extended beyond being progressive for his time.

The poem reads extremely well on its own and the commentary and afterword on each section help focus the reader on the changing themes of the poem. The first time I read Leaves of Grass, I just fell into the rhythm of the words and went blindly on with the flow. Folsom’s commentary deal directly with the section read. He discusses the social and historical aspects of what is written and compares them to today and the poems setting. Merrill draws on personal experience and his own travels to relate what Whitman is saying. The joint effort gives the reader two views that are easily understood but without any heavy-handedness. They work well with Whitman’s easy, open style.

Whitman’s view is all encompassing from the joining of body and soul to religion The poetry drifts into philosophy. His views of American society are compared and contrasted with Thoreau and his Whitman’s vision of America is compared with Tocqueville’s writing of American democracy. He writes of war as a soldier and a sailor, Manifest Destiny, and of Texas. He writes of the America that is, which is not always the America America thinks it is. He presents the reader with science from the atoms to the cosmos. This is Whitman’s life work and it is all encompassing. It is everything he saw and believed recorded as a poem to be passed on. He knows that he will die and he calls on the reader to discuss and criticize the poem and to become a co-creator to add to what he was written — To keep the poem alive as one would believe a soul lives on after death.




July 26, 2016 · 21:34

Poetry Review — Take Nothing With You Take Nothing With You by Sarah V. Schweig is the poet’s first full-length collection of poetry. Schweig is also the author of the chapbook S from Dancing Girl Press. Her poetry and criticism have appeared in many journals. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and Columbia University and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

There is definitely a New York quality to Shweig’s writing. The city is the setting for most of the poems and is never too far away in the others. From the rooftops to the transit system the city is the star and it is limited only by the edge of the water.

Along the shore lie those who know there is no heaven, and no answer to our questions, and that ships leaving piers look like distant chandeliers.

Trains and the city present the backdrop to the poems. “Contingencies” reflects on graffiti and the juvenile delinquents who white out the graffiti of the Latin King. The “whiting” of the city is being done by black and latino children.

The poetry is modern in style, but not too complex. In “Rooms”:

At the bottom of the ocean, unreached by waves of light, there is no weather. Instead (so I’ve heard), a perfect species of albino fish never comprehends the concept of Surface.
The storm rolled in the Blue Rain.
It snuffed out cadmium ends of cigarettes pointellating the cityscape, neon
from the signs up and down Rain Street, and rising water erased
eyes from every picture frame.

The reading is enjoyable. There are plenty of water and big city themes in the writing. Not from New York, but from a large city myself, I revel in the city life. Schweig captures the good, bad, and the need to occasionally escape it. There is a flow and feeling of connection throughout the collection. Nothing is perfect, for example, the flow of “Brighton Beach” is punctuated by the train stop announcements on the route to the beach. It’s the hustle and bustle of the city that creates a rhythm and pulse. Some of the poems delve into relationships with the saddest being “To A Daughter.” Others reflect the poet’s feelings and experiences. A well-rounded collection of poetry. Complex, but not over demanding, Schweig creates a personal relationship with the reader.



July 25, 2016 · 21:27

Poetry Review — bodys bodys by Vanessa Roveto is the poet’s first collection of poetry. Roveto does not have much of a public biography. I did find this, “Vanessa Roveto is a writer living in the United States” which is further updated by the University of Iowa Press as “Vanessa Roveto is a writer living in the San Fernando Valley. ”

It is weird, sometimes, the way we like things. Why do you like blue or spaghetti? You just do and it does little good to explain it even if you could. bodys is something like that. I enjoyed it and was captivated by it, but the reasoning is difficult to explain. Starting with the title, it is neither (the proper) plural nor possessive, however, in practice, it could be both.

The opening poem drops the reader into an uncomfortable feeling situation. The reader is a voyeur who seems to have wandered into the wrong room at an adult party. Maybe it’s a shock at the start to get the reader’s attention but it continues through the collection. However, it is written in a manner that even if it’s not your type of thing you can’t look away or put down the book.

The writing style seems to be a mix of Whitman and William S Burroughs. There is a rhythm and flow the reader can get lost in while reading. This is balanced against a seemingly cut up style of word usage.

The time-sensitive woman moved without sentiment because after all a smile is nothing but a place that helicopters watch.

There are both overt and covert references to sex and sexual organs throughout the collection.

They met in the library stacks. The combination of graduate student and prostitute could not be underestimated.

A below-job is relevant in that it occurred, if for no other reason

The school for art, brushing upon its rich history of auto-vaginal insertion.

Poetry that is at least MA-17 but somehow does not seem offensive or something that might embarrass the reader while reading on a train commute to work. Well done in its own unique style and worthy of several reads.



July 23, 2016 · 20:33

Poetry Review –The Rain in Portugal: New Poems The Rain in Portugal: New Poems by Billy Collins is the poet’s latest collection of poetry. This collection will be available on October 4, 2016. Collins is an American poet. He served two terms as the Poet Laureate of the United States from 2001 to 2003. In his home state, Collins has been recognized as a Literary Lion of the New York Public Library (1992) and selected as the New York State Poet for 2004.

Collins breaks the stereotype of the stiff and stern poet. His writing is clear and he has a knack for blending the infinite with the common. He is a poet that can drop an f-bomb and not offend anyone. To be fair, though, he rarely uses it. He tells of his black cat whose two yellow circles of her eyes are the only sign that the black blob of an animal is approaching. In departing, he notes, there is only a single circle when her tail is held high. This is something he compares to Paul Revere’s lantern. Not one’s typical expectation of a national poet laureate.

In “Cosmology” he admits difficulty in the Hindu version of the earth resting on the backs of four elephants. Instead, he envisions the Earth resting on Keith Richards head. Richards with a Marlboro in one hand and a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other keeps the earth spinning and happy by talking about how the blues influenced the Rolling Stones. Collins,also, ponders what the weather would be like the day after he dies and what will happen in the world and in a small Ohio town after his death. “Tanager” presents two images one of wanting a walk in nature and the second the morning news that seems to interfere with the walk — Man’s world vs nature’s world.

Collins also presents the bigger picture of things. A lost child on the beach leads to thinking of America’s manifest destiny. A boy’s confusion on why a lobster is black and dark, not red. His writing about the first poem after the death of the English language has a humorous side but also an element of loss. Simple natural things such as biological needs tie directly into the universe in “Under the Stars.”

Collins has an uncanny ability to write poetry that is easy and enjoyable to read. Much of it lies in the open and on the surface with enough under it give it depth. His writing reads easy and smooth taking the reader along effortlessly. Many poets seem to try too hard to make their poetry work. Collins’ words, however, flow naturally even when talking about the rain in Portugal. Another great collection from an American treasure.



July 23, 2016 · 19:27

Book Review –A Searchlight on the Navy A Searchlight on the Navy by Hector C. Bywater is an examination of naval strengths and goals of the world powers in the interwar period. Bywater (1884-1940) was a British journalist, military author, and spy primarily focused on naval affairs. His 1925 work The Great Pacific War correctly predicted many of the actions that the Japanese and Americans took during WWII; indeed, it was later revealed that many military leaders had used it as a resource in their strategic planning.

A Searchlight on the Navy was originally written in 1934 as the world was building up for another conflict. The London Naval Treaty of 1934 set to limit submarine and naval shipbuilding. Previously, the Washington Treaty worked to limit navies sizes and type of ships. This wasn’t just a military decision. Capital ships were expensive and that burden was placed on the country’s’ taxpayers. European countries were already drained economically by WWI and limiting naval build up by all countries would allow money to be put to better use. The United States, although having two large coastlines, did not see a reason for a large navy. No country was close enough to present a threat. However, Japanese expansion in the Pacific did present a hindrance for trade and influence.

It seems many of the pre-war ideas remained in place during the interwar years. Britain with the largest navy wanted to hold its place of power to ensure the free flow of goods throughout the empire. America was criticized by Britain for building a merchant fleet instead of relying on British ships. Japan was looking to spread its influence in the Pacific. Italy and France were locked in their own arms race. France still feared Germany. Germany began expanding its military beyond pocket battleships.

Bywater gives a detailed account of ships, armament, and advancements in the interwar period. Naval limitations were a complex issue with each party wanting their own goals and ships that best served their interests. Technologies were changing from guns sizes to the introduction of aircraft carriers. Aircraft carriers provided an interesting discussion as to their role in the navy. Were they part of the naval fleet or mobile airfield that should be covered by another treaty.

Naval limitations seemed to be a subject more complex than nuclear arms reduction talks of the Cold War. Complicated not only by the type and number of ship, but also the number of countries involved. With the Second World War half a decade away, the promise of naval reductions seemed doomed. Although less than two decades previous, Europe experienced a devastating war, it did not seem willing to prevent the next war. Japan still riding high from its victory over Russia and its current expansion into Asia saw little to stop its rise to power. Bywater gives a British look at the moment between two world wars.



July 23, 2016 · 17:56

Book Review –The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern America The Path to War: How the First World War Created Modern America by Michael S. Neiberg is an examination of how and why the United States became involved in World War I. Neiberg earned his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University. He is currently Professor of History, Department of National Security and Strategy, US Army War College.

When asking a reasonably informed American why the US became involved in WWI and why it sided with the Allies instead of the Central Powers the response would probably be the Lusitania or maybe even the Zimmerman telegram. The Lusitania, however, was attacked and sunk two years before the US declared war. The Zimmerman telegram was a plan that was still in the idea stage. Zimmerman sent it to the German ambassador in Mexico and it did not evolve much from there. Britain, however, held it like a carrot in front of the American war machine.

There were mixed feelings in the US. Irish-Americans were torn between loyalty to the US and loyalty to their kinsmen wanting home rule. German-Americans were also divided at the start of the war. Americans as a whole want to stay out of the conflict. It was barely fifty years before that America was involved in a very bloody Civil War. Not many were willing to bleed for Europe. Siding with the allies was not a sure thing either. America demanded freedom of the seas and trade for neutrals. Britain created an extensive list of contraband items including cotton, much to the dismay of the American South. More than any country involved in the conflict, Britain needed the US to intervene. First, it relied on imports for the majority of its food supply and Germany was taking a toll on its merchant fleet. Secondly, Britain was going bankrupt. It was spending itself out of the war.

In the US, the war became a political issue that few wanted to side with. Even as Wilson’s “Too proud to fight” speech was mocked most wanted neutrality. The countries fighting were for the most part monarchies and most had empires. This had little in common with American ideals of democracy and independence. However, the international pressures were moving the US closer to war; it would only be a matter of time. In fact, just five months after Wilson won the presidential election with the slogan “He kept us out of war,” America was at war.

Neiberg examines the internal factors that drew the US into the European war as well as the external pressures. Like WWI, itself, there is no one reason for going to war but a string of events that lead the US to fight over there. America was not militarily prepared for the fight and even its recent military efforts to track down Poncho Villa in Mexico were a failure. The navy was out of date and a long way from Theodore Roosevelt’s Great White Fleet. America had become complacent in its geographical isolation. The Path to War sheds light on the real reasons the US, reluctantly, entered the conflict. Neiberg digs deep into the domestic issues of the United States and provides the answers. Some answers are expected and others are not usually mentioned in history books. World War I was a war that should not have happened on the scale it did. There were so many pieces that had to be perfectly placed or totally ignored for a regional conflict to grow into a worldwide war. America’s entrance into the war was not as clear cut as many like to think, however, it was the start of America’s rise as a world power.



July 17, 2016 · 18:37

Poetry Review — Born to Love, Cursed to Feel

You are reckless, selfish, stubborn, sometimes rude
May God have Mercy on your soul
For you are truly lost Born to Love, Cursed to Feel by Samantha King is possibly her first collection of poetry. King does not give a bio and it is difficult which Samantha King she is in a Google search. All I know about the poet is that she is associated with r.h. Sin. I hate to compare her work to his work but there is a clear connection in their style and themes. King really should give some background even if it is fictional.

King writes about relationships. Most do not end well and leave the poet exhausted in her efforts to keep them going or perhaps better them. Some poems are about the relationship, but many are the after effects. “Goodbye” describes the pain of a broken relationship with the realization that life goes on:

The sky didn’t come crashing down
Air still flows through my lungs
Blood surges through my veins

The “Vow of Silence” is a mere four lines that express more than four paragraphs could. Her writing comes in powerful bursts. The longer poems are ballads to despair, desolation, and dejection. Here the reader must rely on line breaks and capitalization while reading. Punctuation marks, with the exception of question marks, are practically nonexistent. This seems to add to the raw and primal feelings of the writer and adds to, rather than takes away from, the structure and readability. A casual reader may not even notice the absence of punctuation.

King;s poetry details efforts and feelings which are ignored or simply taken advantage of. “Fool Me Twice” shows that the narrator sets herself up to be hurt. It is a delicate balance between giving too much or not enough and to whom the giving is done.

I hate you wouldn’t quite do it
I forgive you isn’t quite my speed
I regret meeting you would be a lie
The best thing for me was removing you from my life
That, I am sure of


To coming to terms with the fact that just because you
Love someone
Doesn’t mean you’re supposed to be with them

Not all is dark. “Devotion” and “Home” are the candles in this collection. Taking this collection in a balance it is easy to see how lopsided it is in the favor of darkness and broken relationships. Perhaps it is a reflection on St. Francis of Assisi quote, “All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” There is plenty of darkness everywhere. Day divides the night, the depths of the oceans or the edges of the universe. Still, the smallest bit of light conquers the darkness. King clearly demonstrates the amount of darkness but always seems to move to the light, if not always reaching it. One sided relationships are left behind. Instead of open rage and violence that is seen so often today, she takes the high road, even in her use of words. There is plenty of anger and disappointment in her voice but she remains in control of her emotions even though her writing delivers a powerful punch to the reader.



