WEE reviews May 24, 2006

Gym Dance With the Doors Wide Open/The Smell of Rat Rubs Off by J. Allyn Rosser

Julie: "Gym Dance" is a bit overwrought, though I liked the playful use of rhyme. I never understand things like "its hue a very huelessness." Five words that say absolutely nothing. Their meaning a very meaninglessness. The plot of the poem escapes me entirely. "Rat" is an interesting, clever sonnet, but the entire effect is destroyed by a horrible inversion in the final line. Yow.

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Lovetown by Bryan Penberthy

Julie: Here we have a great example of a poem that I only discovered because of this exercise. I might have bailed early because it wasn't catching me. But then it got its hooks into me and didn't let go. Not the greatest imagery in the world, and a little heavy on the adjectives, but this poem explored a perspective I found compelling, and it worked for me in a quiet, understated way.

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No Tell Motel won't load for me today. I'll take a look when I can.