Customer Reviews

Portable Planet: Poems (Leaping Dog Press Book, # 1)

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As a relative novice of poetry, I was surprized to find myself drawn into Shaffer's world. The book is separated into three parts, but it is more fun to just open the book and begin reading. Every time the book is opened, a plethora of emotions and images leap from the page. Although I found it easier to visualize the first section of the book, the images of the East, evoked by his meticulous language, are firmly imbeded in my thoughts. Shaffer leads the reader on a glorious journey from West to East. The poems range from well chosen "one-liners," to canvases of intricately woven masterpieces. Portable Planet is, undoubtedly, a book for any poetry collection.

In Portable Planet, Eastern tales and myths interweave with Western pragmatism and humor. The American poet writes of Japan and other Eastern nations from the perspective of one living within a culture that perceives him as the foreigner, the outsider. His awareness of his status in Okinawa as an "inside-outsider" underlies every crystalline image--making the work rich in paradoxical perception. The second of the three books included in this volume, "The Western Room," evokes the character of Japan that can be found in Shuri Castle, ancient capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom, and the wonder that can be found in the magnificent wings of mythical dragons. Yet the poetry encompasses more than castles and myths, capturing not only the nation's reverence for its two thousand year history but also its delight in "pink cellular phones" or t-shirts that use English as a "design motif." The work does not sentimentalize Eastern cultures nor does it elevate Western sensibilities. Rather, the poetry revels in foreign realms even while it remains grounded in the elements of the natural world--the sea, the sand, the hermit crabs, and the reef egrets. As the poet says, "the sea foretells the past and the future," yet "mountains reveal nothing lasts." Listen well.

Portable Planet is that rare book of poetry that gives you both immediate pay-off and a lifetime of contemplation. From the opening poem, "At Play in the Fields of the Word," Eric Paul Shaffer makes you laugh ("None come to the door but grim vendors of an angry God and trademark plasticware") and makes you think ("Today, I define 'freedom' this way: with nothing done, the future is full"). Each of Shaffer's poems hits you with power and precision. Shaffer has more to SAY than any other living poet I've read. Unlike most acclaimed (and rather boring) poets, he never hides behind safely ambiguous imagery; his voice is loud and clear, and playfully challenging. For example, consider this line from his long poem "The Western Room:" "From Japan, America is the land of the rising sun, inscrutable." From his poem "Yadokari: Hermit Crab, Okinawa," you can also learn how to live your life: "Life is kind. Move on. Carry what you can." If I were forced to choose my favorite, I'd pick "On the Verge of the Usual Mistake." (His titles alone are both funny and thought-provoking.) If you buy only one book of poetry this year, make sure you buy Portable Planet. It doesn't get better than this.

Portable Planet liberates American poetry from the stuffiness of the Academy and the silliness of the Slam. Here is a book whistling with fresh air, open vistas, and good humor. Portable Planet should be made into our next National Park, but hurry and get your copy, before the next administration sells it off! If Walt Whitman had looked under his own boot soles, he would have found Eric Paul Shaffer--and Shaffer would have been giving old Walt a hot foot. This book burns!

Shaffer is a gifted poet, generously allowing us to see the world from his sometimes tilted (like a pinball machine) but generally optimistic viewpoint. His verse is accessible without being simple, and often cheerful but not sappy. And it comes with instructions! If you like your poetry dense as ancient fruitcake and studded with indigestible pellets of unidentifiable allusions you may not enjoy this book, but I found it refreshing and strongly recommend it.