POETRY AND OTHER STUFF

A work that defies classification: a varied collection of thoughts and musings–some of which is poetry, some of which is something else altogether.

Slupesky seems to have culled decades' worth of ponderings and witticisms in this slim volume, with selections that range widely across the spectrum of expression and emotion. The insightful "Our Many Words for Death" explores the colorful terms we use to describe as well as cloak the harshness of ending a life, and "Then/Now" exhibits how the politically correct revolution has altered our language. Other pieces, however, are a bit more obscure and outlandish: the silly "Opinions about Opinions," which unsuccessfully attempts to break down the concept of opinions, and the inane "The License Plate Quatrains," the intent of which simply can't be known. The former are quaint distractions while the latter become irretrievable minutes spent digesting the absurdity. Indeed, half of the poems and "other stuff" are tidbits that don't entirely add up to a full piece of literature. In contrast, however, "9 Items Or Less–Cash Only," one of the longest selections in the book, relates the whimsical story of an easily angered, socially conscious woman who wreaks revenge upon an obnoxious fellow shopper (who commits such crimes as having 13 items in the "9 Items or Less" lane) at the grocery store. While the two-page account leans less toward poetry and more toward vignette, it is also one of the strongest, illustrating the author's acute sense of irony and flare for narration. And it's refreshing to read poems that are neither overly complicated, nor overburdened with self-importance.

A pleasant, airy volume to be enjoyed in one sitting, and perhaps revisited in short bursts of whimsy.