BEYOND RHYMES, BEYOND REASON

A Southern California poet collects 61 sonnets he’s written over a quarter-century.

In his fourth book, Jacobs explores varied subjects while remaining faithful to the sonnet form and particularly to the style of the “courtier” poets of the late 1500s and beyond. Unrequited love dominates romantic poems like “Her Maiden Passing,” which mourns that a muse has chosen another. In “The Naked Truth,” the poet laments feeling “unwanted” and “haunted” as loneliness takes hold. In “Checkmate,” he fails to share his feelings with his beloved for fear of disappointing her. Writing is another frequent subject. Jacobs describes how he finds asylum on the page: “Whenever the attitudes of men / Confine me to the remedy of my pen.” In “A Final Rendering,” he expresses some of the frustrations of writing in a centuries-old format: “To be in search of the perfect verse / Can often be a nagging curse.” In “Them,” the poet considers how he is viewed and judged by others. Elsewhere he questions human nature, calls out his own nihilism, encourages forgiveness, and contemplates impermanence. Faith is a sticking point for the poet; he seems cynical about organized religion but longs to believe in something. Jacobs has attempted a lofty feat by publishing dozens of sonnets in one book. But sonnets can be sappy, and though Jacobs’ sentiments appear sincere, lines like “Your love is the epitome / Of all that sustains me” don’t avoid that risk. At times, the poet’s ego also works against his poetry. “Self-Portrait” is too full of bluster in proclaiming that the poet has an “innate gift for verse.” “A Jester’s Waltz” off-puttingly criticizes “those of you who are immune / To the melodic beat of a tune.” Some of his queries border on preachy: “Why do we willingly lie / Without first asking ourselves why?” Jacobs’ writing is strongest when it deals with desire. “Enraptured” and “A Persian Kiss,” in particular, are sensual delights and the kind of content that the sonnet form was made for. This collection would have benefited from adding more like them or from pruning to remove some of the weaker poems.

A hit-and-miss collection of poems for sonnet fans.