Not too long ago, I reviewed an exceptional book called “Skunk: A Love Story,” one of those rare finds in literature you know you’ll not forget. Fortunately for me, and anyone else lucky enough to have discovered Skunk, author Justin Courter has not pulled a Margaret Mitchell on his readers by producing one great work and calling it quits. The Death of the Poem and Other Paragraphs is poetry (in paragraphs) that demands to be heard. I haven’t laughed out loud so much since–well, since Skunk. From the very first poem, Courter had my attention.
The poems, fun and edgy, sarcastic and all too true, sometimes had me initially perplexed until the “aha” light came on, compelling me to read each one at least twice so I could laugh some more, feeling good about getting it. Don’t be thrown, though, by all my talk of laughter. There is something deliciously biting about the poetry as well. And if you’ve ever worked in an office job while staring out the windows saying, “There must be more, oh why can’t I just create all day and skip the paper clips?” well, let’s just say this is poetry you’ll want to memorize and recite out loud just to irritate and mortally confuse your coworkers who live to file, sort, and staple. As Courter would say, “…the office is a kennel full of rabid bunny rabbits. Stomp softly and carry a carrot stick.”
A handful of times in my life I have finished a book and turned it over to start again. Sometimes I want to carry the book around with me even after I’ve closed the pages, just to look at the cover and remember. I finished reading I’jaam – An Iraqi Rhapsody by Sinan Antoon three days ago, and I keep going back to pick it up and read.