Customer Reviews

Watching Wisteria

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Duane Locke of Tampa, Florida, has made the jump from hard copy to cyberspace as successfully as any poet. Roll the search engines and you will be amazed at the sheer abundance of what they sniff out.

WW was published in 1995 a few years before Locke began to float his work on our screens. This book reveals a man who is a true master at the art of imagistic poetry. Many of the poems like "Trestle," "White Tree by the Gulf," and "The Dwarf" deliver a solid concrete image in every line. The rhythm and language are also strong.

On the other hand, this book contains poems that though well-written and intellectual in nature are just not interesting. Beyond this, there are a few like "The End of Something" and "Love in the Eighties" that are self-absorbed and arrogant. These poems, so typical of the kind of academic drivel that has driven readers away from the genre, greatly detract from the effect of this book. Locke is clearly a genius, and with his vast experience in both academia and the arts, should know better.

Fortunately, Locke finishes strong with a final series of poems which return the reader to his best image-driven work.