WEE reviews June 1, 2006

The Power Plant by Julianne Buchsbaum

Damn, I'm a slacker. This poem strikes me as intentionally difficult, but I like it despite that. I like it because of that. A scattering of great lines, mixed with a scattering of lines that are almost Charlie Brown teacher-ish in their lack of concrete meaning for me. It helps when you're in the right mood, and I'm in the right mood.

---------

Feast of the Ascension, 2004. Planting Hibiscus by Jay Hopler

Julie: If you thought I looked confused before, you should see me now! I thought when this poem began that it was going to be one of those very dense sonically aware poems. This line

Look at the garden: dew-swooned and with fat blooms swollen

pointed me in that direction. A little over the top, but hey, I like an enthusiastically extravagant poem. But then we seem to be in a morass of corporate speak and while that might be the point, it was also a disappointment. If I never hear someone say "X is the new Y" again in my life, I'll be thankful. On my deathbed, I'll say, "I thought that shrimp tasted funny," and then I'll say, "Thank you for not saying 'Shrimp is the new hemlock.' That's why you're still in my will."

---------

Fall Aubade, with Window and Buzz by Molly Tenenbaum

Julie: Someone on a workshop said, I think recently, that everyone has written an Aubade. That person is a liar, as I have never written an Aubade and have never actually wanted to use that title for anything. You know what this means? Tomorrow I'll suddenly be struck by the urge to write an Aubade. And it will suck. But this Aubade is rather clever, though it's jumpy, like a string of jokes by a stand-up instead of a coherent routine. (Yesterday's Tenebaum was also an Aubade, and I should have reviewed it but instead I actually did work. I gotta stop doing that.) Tenenbaum is striking a mood in my brain even if I don't walk away thinking deep thoughts. I get a sense of eating poetry candy while I'm reading her, as if I'm going to eventually need some broccoli or something to stay fit.