Customer Reviews

American Ghost Roses (Illinois Poetry Series)

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Poet laureate of Illinois Kevin Stein presents American Ghost Roses, an unusual poetry anthology consisting entirely of elegies. Free verse in a variety of formats mourns the brevity of human life and the death of a father. An honest and upfront approach to grief, these verses stir a resounding chord in the individual reader. Thinking of Kandinsky while Shaving My Father: It pains the back, not to mention the spirit, / to kneel beside one's father limp in his electric lift chair. / Scrape goes the blade, tick the clock whose arms / spin blades pinned at the donkey's tail / heart makes of us. With one deft false move // I could end this, though try that excuse on the cops. / Next his hair cut and shampoo, my day's dirty work / spiraled down the drain. Who's weak now? / For scenes like these, Kandinsky claims / the spirit can be strengthened by exercise. American Ghost Roses is highly recommended as being thoughtful and thought provoking reading.