You must be logged in to post a review.
Please log in
2
People Reviewed This Product
By aaronwilson01
Dec 2, 2010
If you don't know the poetry of Jack Hayes, you should. The book begins with the section of of spring ghazals, all dated in someway: either literally or with in the poem through descriptions of spring sights, sounds, and smells. Hayes' attention to language is refreshing and a joy to read in The Spring Ghazals' section. However, the section that I enjoyed most was the Kitchen Poem section, and of the kitchen poems, "Fondue." "Fondue" is a poem dripping in Star Trek references. The strange melting pot of metaphors - food, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - creates a sweet meal, marrying poetry, narrative, and Gene Roddenberry. Here is one of my favorite sets of lines: "dipping between dimensions the pale / purple twilight melts into the space-time continuum / just another Star Trek: The Next Generation episode the USS / Enterprise suddenly shifting at light speeds into the wrong place at / the right time or vice-versa..." (p.... More > 31) On the surface, the light hearted reference is fun and caught my attention, caught me off guard really - a good thing in a book of poetry or any book for that matter. However, the more I consider those lines in context of the rest of the book, I wonder at the underling emotions that produced "suddenly shifting at light speeds into the wrong place at / the right time or vice-versa" (Hayes). Those few words seem haunted with pain, as if life is moving so quickly that it either passes buy unnoticed or it is slammed into buy accident. Whichever, the feeling is one of being lost in space where planning and preparation are rendered useless due to the speed of travel - the fleeting nature of existence. The Spring Ghazals is worth the read for just this one poem. There are many others that are just as good or better in the collection, but I will be forever haunted by "Fondue."< Less
Spring Ghazals by poet and musician Jack Hayes, is a meditation on loss, memory and time. Throughout the poems, Hayes conjures a world filled with well-worn beauty. The details of this beauty, from the color of spring wildflowers to the taste of familiar foods, contrast with the melancholy that is at the root of many of his poems. These specific, evocative details are the greatest strength of this volume of poetry. As a reader, I was inspired by the precision of his details, especially as they helped me to create an emotional (as well as physical) landscape. Read my full review here: http://everythingfeedsprocess.com/2010/10/24/review-spring-ghazals-by-jack-hayes/
