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Public Poetry, Kevin Walzer's meditations on poetry, publishing, business, and other creative pursuits
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Kevin Walzer, a poet, poetry publisher, husband, and father.
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Fri, 04 Jan 2008
Book of the Day: Shameless by Suzanne Roberts
Despite its brassy, sassy title, Suzanne Roberts' Shameless is a deadly serious book. Roberts takes the reader on a journey through heartbreak and loneliness to a brighter, stronger place. Her poems are haunting in their understatement, as the title poem shows:
Shameless
He knocks at the door, looks
through the window. You have no choice
but to answer. He explains that the end
of false religion is near. You'd shut the door
without an excuse, but he's tall and blond,
a thinner version, you think, of Barbie's Ken.
So you tilt your head with feigned interest and say,
Really? Tell me more. A harlot, he answers,
sits on the back of a beast. And?
The beast has seven heads and ten horns.
You say the woman rides him?
Yes, and exerts influence over the kings
of the earth. What's she wearing?
She's dressed in purple, wears a crown
of rubies, burns incense. She's exceedingly wealthy.
And shameless? He loosens his necktie,
puts down his briefcase, gestures with long fingers.
But the beast will make her devastated
and naked. He will eat her fleshy parts.
And she will burn with fire.
Yes, and he will carry out God's thoughts.
Intimate, longing with memory but recognizing the sober present, Shameless is a vital book of poems.