Customer Reviews

Late for Work

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When Terry Gross interviewed David Tucker on Fresh Air, my ears pricked right up. So straightforward, so down to earth. He draws on his work -- his real work as an assistant managing editor for the NJ Star-Ledger -- and write poetry as affecting and plainspoken as Auden, Frost, or James Agee in "Knoxville: Summer of 1915." I used to be afraid of writing poetry that revealed, in any way, the culture and time in which it was written and I despised such poetry as trivial and pointless. Now, I am completely intoxicated by it. Here is another poet whose work I hope they dig up 1,000 years from now and say, "Oh. So that's what it was like." Read this. Meet his mother or his father or his grandfather, sit with him on his day off or when he's watching crows or listening to the clothes dryer, read his first person account of the day-to-day, nuts-and-bolts operations of God himself.

What an upbeat and insightful collection! It's a pleasure to read the poetry of a man in love with life, immersed in the present, attentive to detail and the nuances of language.

Prize-winning journalist-poet David Tucker gives us news of such things as putting things off,a snowbound airport,hectic glimpses of the newsroom or a voice-mail from what's-his-face.He's an economical writer,who finds the quintessentially perfect words for life's sadness as well as its beauty.His skill at making quiet moments seem like ours, almost made me think I could write poetry too.

This book will make you stop in your tracts. The language is simple, straightforward, yet profound. You can just spend an hour on each poem, they are that good. I am not a huge poetry fan, but I bought this one after my local paper recommended it, buy it and just listen.

I come back to this book every so often...it's the NJ I live in and the Tennessee I spend time in and real and simple and yet it elevates the real to the lyrical. Funny, true, beautiful, simple. Perfect sometimes. So worth reading, buying.

Im so glad I stumbled upon this book in a bookstore. Ive been dry lately on finding inspiring work but, this book put a smile back on my face. get it.