The poems in this collection touch on many subjects...life during and after the pandemic, world affairs, climate change, the ever changing and inevitable winding down of life. I was struck by the observations and how tuned in they are. As always, I feel like poetry "gets me." Most certainly, poetry always seems to understand life and the world. These poems are no different.
A few quotes of verses/stanzas that were particularly striking to me...
from Toast to Friendship
These people in Kiev--people just like us--
no longer worried about
when to go to the store for toothpaste,
but whether their sons and daughters
would live in an independent nation,
or live at all.
The war in Ukraine weighs heavily on our minds as it continues on and on. This poem captured the sorrow of what was, what is, and perhaps what could be again (we can only hope).
from Embracing Hermithood
No necessity to go out, no reason to drive,
hermit life made not only bearable--
embraceable.
The need to appear disappears.
The pandemic drives us into
our isolated caves. Gives us an excuse
to be what we want to be.
If the pandemic could be looked at in a more positive light, these stanzas demonstrate this. Perhaps the forced isolation made us slow down, as we were unable to go out as the social butterflies that many of us may be. Though the isolation was difficult at times, I also feel like it helped me to slow down and to be more centered, more focused on the now.
From Sassy
I see your collar on the table.
How I always wanted to sleep in
an extra ten minutes
when it was my turn to walk you.
How I long to walk with you--
at any hour--now.
The loss of a beloved pet. This one brought tears to my eyes. So often we take for granted their devoted companionship. Then they are gone and the memories of the joy they brought to our lives are a source of sorrow, and yet thoughts of them are cherished, happy memories. The loss of our four-legged family members is so difficult because they are with us for such a short time in the grand scheme of things.
From Water Fall Blues
Driving a rented Skoda, you and I visit
the national park we remember from our last
visit to Croatia, and we find that our off-the-beaten-path
waterfall is nowhere to be found. Has it
evaporated, or can we simply not find it?
A personal loss, worthy of your tears.
Climate change. Our vanishing waterways. A very real phenomena that is becoming more and more prevalent. A sad reality, and a harsh reality for people losing access to fresh water. Would that more world leaders and governments acknowledge it for the serious treat it is.
From Just Enough
But the mosh pits and energy,
vibration of the bass,
fist pumps and crowd surfing,
being there, part of the scene.
That was me. But not today.
This evening, I'd rather stay in.
He says "That was me." I say, this was me! Funny. So many of us can relate, I'm sure. As I listen to my 20-something sons speak of concerts they attend, despite the high cost of the tickets, I try to remind myself that this was once me. When life revolved around attending the next concert. But now, for me, home is where it's at.
From The Moment
So many perfect moments for scrapbook,
storybook memories.
You look up from your painting and smile,
the sound of the children's laughter
wafting up from the basement.
If I had to pick a perfect moment,
this moment
could very well be it.
So often we have photographs and mementos of the family trips, the big moments. But it's the little things, the fleeting memories of a tiny smile, a giggle, that really matter in the grand scheme of things.
From Submission to a Student Magazine
(from a writer who's burning out)
I shake your hand and want to cling to it,
to hold it until you understand,
until you feel what I feel
and know what it means to be one in
one hundred thousand writers.
Boy, I can relate to this one. As a writer, and aspiring to be a published author, it is often daunting thinking about how many writers, and books that are out in the world. That's when imposter syndrome kicks in, but I try to remember that it's the journey, not the destination, that really matters.
As you can see, I really related to this collection. I think you will too. An excellent debut collection. I hope to have the opportunity to read Goodman's future collections.
About the collection:
Goodman’s insightful observations of life’s transitions, especially in a world reshaped by pandemic isolation and technological shifts, reveal the courage it takes to love a life that’s continuously evolving.
Faraway Tables invites readers to savor the delicate flavors of experience, the tender beauty of other places and other times, and the enduring connections that define our shared humanity.
Advance praise:
“Faraway Tables is a dazzling collection–a mixture of the mundane and the monumental that travels to marvelous times and places in the world and in the heart, with surprise detonated in many of the poems’ last lines. -Toby Devens, My Best Mid-Life Crisis (Yet)
“Eric D. Goodman writes with such a light hand. He sees endearing details in everyday happenstances–playful, erudite, perceptive. Norman Rockwell in words.” -Hezekiah Scretch, poetry editor, Fleas on the Dog Literary Journal
About the poet:
Eric D. Goodman lives and writes in Maryland. He’s the author of six previously published books of fiction. More than a hundred of his short stories, articles, and travel stories have been published in literary journals, magazines, and periodicals. Eric’s recent poetry has been featured in more than twenty publications, including Gargoyle Magazine and The Main Street Rag.
Add to GoodReads:
Add to GoodReads:
Available on Amazon, Bookshop.org, and Yorkshire Publishing.
Thank you so much for reviewing this collection.
ReplyDelete