Customer Reviews

Fuck You-Aloha-I Love You (Wesleyan Poetry Series)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A small, somewhat short book of poetry, with five short to medium-length pieces, each divided into smaller bits.

I'm not really sure what to say about this book. It's not that I didn't like it, but it felt as if it was missing some core element that made things seem like less than they should have been; the language is repetitive without ever quite getting to chant, and while the work stays perfectly grounded in image, the images never seem to coalesce into scenes:

In a room we sit around a table.
The table is dark wood.
It has thick legs.
It is a space for gathering with a boundary of wood.

*
In another room, in a hotel room, we hurriedly undress.

*
We use the table as a barrier and we rest our things on it.
We value the table as decorum.
A table that is wood, that is hard.
("Switching")

...if that makes any sense.

It's enjoyable, but not something it's necessary to run out and grab this instant. If you find it used, it's worth your time. ** ½

OK, I'll admit it: I read "Fuck You-Aloha-I Love You", primarily because of its taboo-breaking title. What I discovered was a volume of poetry that is not wholly satisfying, but still interesting.

The back cover data notes that Spahr is assistant professor of English at the University of Hawai'i in Honolulu. This book consists of 6 poems ranging in length from 2 pages to more than 20 pages. "things" explores the term "da kine," which the back cover notes is a pidgin term. "gathering: palolo stream" ends with a note about the controversy over indigenous Hawaiian rights to the land. "a younger man, an older man, and a woman" ends with a note saying that the poem draws from an acrobatic performance the author saw at Waikiki.

I found this volume often repetitive and obscure. Occasionally the language sounds a bit pretentious and stiff. Here's a sample (from "a younger man [...]"): "Culture is a group enterprise and / requires the cooperation and / teamwork of we who are in the / formations." I also did not like the fact that she uses a number of apparently Hawaiian terms (aholehole, mai'a, kukui, etc.) but doesn't include a glossary for those who might not be familiar with these words.

I felt that the use of the notorious "f-word" in the title was gratuitous and really didn't add much to the book (besides being an attention-getter). I have mixed feelings about this volume as a whole. But, the "f-word" issue aside, I found Spahr's poetry to be oddly compelling.

This book moved me deeply - I was shattered by some of the symbolism and eclliptic narrative. As an eldery grandmother, I was particularly touched by the 'Older woman' piece; it quite took me back to my younger days! I highly recommend this thoughtful and pervocative work.

In my day, publishing such a thing would have resulted in forced cold showers for all concerned, followed by a brisk rub down with a salted brillo pad from matron.

Draft them all into the army, get some old-fashioned discipline and a sense of what it is to be a man, that's what I say!

Although...when I think back to some of the barrack-room antics old "Sticky" Carstairs used to get up to, perhaps that isn't advisable in this case.

Quite liked the cover though.