Connecting Flights by Lou Barrett

After finishing The Road, my wife and I fixed breakfast together, and with a cup of tea, I sat down to read this slim volume of poetry. It only took an hour, and even though I read all the poems, I am going to carry this around in my briefcase for a bit and savor the ones I like.

The poems were uneven. Some I absolutely loved, and others I did not like even a little bit. Here is an example from one I loved, “Young Fisher King”:

He carries his rod
to the morning river
far from home
alone deepbooted
wading without shadows
in the stream.
He casts his line among mists

The secret scent
of ancient waters
rise around him
and he flings into the flow
the language of his heart
like bait (15)

The short lines, the sparse language, the abrupt shifts in thoughts and lines all appeal to me. It resembles the kind of poems I write.

Everyone needs to sit down and read some poetry at least once in a while. If you do not know where to begin, The Norton Anthology of Poetry, is a good place. It covers thousands of years of verse, with plenty of familiar lines and plenty of unknown authors. Three and a half stars.
--Chiron, 1/20/08