Richard Wink’s book of poems, Dead End Road, published by BeWrite Press will be out in print next week on September 3rd and is a lively collection consisting of wayward moments, off kilter reality, and fascinating imagery. Mr. Wink hails from Norwich, England and has had collections of poems published by Kendra Steiner Editions, ebacce press, and more. Below I will share some of my favorites and it is a very small sample in comparison to the 126 poems so I won’t be able to cover its entire scope so I hope you will enjoy what you find and check out the rest for yourself:
The Pet
They both hunted frantically for nearly an hour
cursing and chuntering to themselves
Where the hell is the remote?
It aint down the side of the sofa
says she
Outside mud flies in the air.
Imagine the kind of splatter
that comes from the back of a dirt bike
only this digger is canine.
As they abandon the search
the hole is approximately two feet deep
with only a wagging tail visible
Isn’t this poem just right? I love the humor of it and just about anyone whose owned a pet or has kids can relate to this moment of mischief. The description of the mud splattering is wonderful—“Imagine the kind of splatter/that comes from the back of a dirt bike” because you can almost hear it for yourself. The ending is very amusing, the dog is waving a proverbial flag of warning to the unsuspecting owners.
Kitchen
A silver spoon hits the vinyl floor
the soup bubbles over, tomato lava drama
and then slowly overflows
like a vomiting Giant
The kitchen is a planet
a thawing freezer leaking
struggling to cope with wholesale bleating
An electronic whisk churns ingredients
a battlefield of flower and egg
milk, a pinch of salt
droplets of holy water
“The kitchen is a planet” is a wonderful take on the events of “tomato lava” and “vomiting Giant” in reference to the chaos of cooking. Obviously the cook isn’t having a good time, after all, it’s “a battlefield of flower and egg” yet the cook must be trying to appease the strange landscape by offering “a pinch of salt/droplets of holy water.” Who would have thought holy water would be in a kitchen to be used to tame the wild cookery? I enjoy reading the drama that is unfolding, then discovering the surprising peace offering at the end.
The Cottage
The thatched roof is aflame
it would be wrong to blame the lodger
who was careless
flicking down his morning
hand rolled cigarette
The landlady is in tears
all she worked for
is now an illuminated marigold carnival
red and blue lights arrive down the hill
and over the bridge
The cottage collapse
before the hoses can release
a gush of sodden purity
The best line in this poem “is now an illuminated marigold carnival” puts a strangely positive spin in this tragedy. Mr. Wink chooses descriptions that are not obvious to the mind or circumstance in his poems which I find much more entertaining as a result of what could have been. The firemen use “hoses” which “can release/a gush of sodden purity” instead of water, and as water is often referred to as pure it makes the ending line so much more interesting in the life of the poem.
Lost youth
I venture in newspaper print
dealing in red ink circles.
If only it was easy
acquiring employment in the midst of national recession
the temper of the sun
is lost
in streaks of shadow that crave to cover the lawn.
A goldfinch
is as rare as getting a break
I watch the clock
as the sun disappears behind the valley
my suit sits in the wardrobe
primed and ready
Of course I had to throw this in as it is reflective of what is going on all over the world at the moment. The title leads me to believe that Mr. Wink is thinking of bygone days when life seemed easier. I enjoy the lines “dealing in red ink circles” and “a goldfinch/is as rare as getting a break” because they are lively and intriguing in their language. I could not help using this poem as the one to close the review with.
If you enjoyed sneak peak of this collection you can pre-order this book from Amazon for approximately 5-6 pounds in U.K. currency:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dead-End-Road-Richard-Wink/dp/1906609365/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249567736&sr=8-1
It is also available in ebook format at www.bewrite.net so please take a look around the site for more details.
Thanks always for reading, please drop in tomorrow for more Poems Found by Poet Hound…
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