Customer Reviews

Leaning Against Time

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This wonderful new collection of poems from Neeli Cherkovski feels and reads as if the poet has returned to his places and people of inspiration. Old haunts and old loves. The beauty of the book runs from gritty Los Angeles beer runs to crowded North Beach bars to white-washed Grecian balconies. There is an energy and excitment in the poems that differs from his previous works and this benefits the casual and intellectual reader alike.

Neeli has the courage to write for us, that which is gone, which is happening, and what is to come. It is at times raw, hopeful, sinful, sad, and the absolute truth. Ultimately, in this book, Neeli writes what we as lovers are afraid to speak...that is "love & the wreck it can cause." There is nothing more to say except thanks for having the guts.

Wow! Neeli Cherkovski has stepped outside of the box, moved away from the safety of the academic confines of his earlier work. There is no comparing "Leaning Against Time" to what he has done in the past; these poems (even the few previously published pieces) become new/are new, fresh and thrilling; he tells the secrets. It's as if Cherkovski has shed an old skin to expose a whole new intimacy, clarity - immediacy to his work. Yes, he is going to challenge the guardians of the gate. It is about time someone does! He has shed the fluff and come out bare-bones-strong, unencumbered by what they want him to be, showing the world who he is: a powerful, dynamic, amazingly gifted poet. If you can't buy this book, steal it! It's worth the risk!

This book is by far the best book of poems by Cherkovski. Those who are familiar with his poetry know that Cherkovski is a humanist. His humanism comes through beautifully through these pages. Poem after poem you find yourself laughing and crying with him over the smallest details of every day life - the stuff that most of us do not even see. He remains hopeful throughout. We need this poet - now more than ever.