Love Bitter and Sweet
Love Bitter and Sweet is a collection of brief poems. The collection takes it cue from the nineteenth century's "Valentine Writers," collections of pieces to be given by those feeling unequiped to pen verse for loved ones themselves. (Given the number of requests for 'write this poem for me' the Blender receives, it seems to be a viable market even today.)

	Waves of desire
	Ebb and flow
	What's constant is
	The undertow
A majority of the poems have a cynical edge, although the book is formally divided by theme: (as were many of those nineteenth century collections) Simple Lust, Love Professed, The Plague of Love, Love Continued, Love Renounced, Dear John/Jane, Gay Love, and Et Alia. Also throughout the work are illustrations by the author, sparse and stylized black and white prints, generally linked to the topic of individual poems. (The author is a professor of illustration at RISD.) 
	Remember, Dearest, when we two
	watched two double-features through,
	Neccoing in the furthest reaches,
	close as Chicklets made by Beeches:
	me bewildered, lovesick, daffy,
	you white and soft as Turkish Taffy.
	Me daring at last to share your lips'
	sweet salt tang of potato chips - 
	then slight snapping, unwrapping sounds,
	you offering to share your Mounds;
	me reaching for the Raisinettes
	while you watched out for usherettes.
	I remember your Jordan Almond eyes,
	the hem of your skirt riding up your thighs;
	you demonstrated your sweet tooth
	by taking hold of my Baby Ruth,
	while I delved for life's hidden facts,
	the Secret Toy in your Crackerjacks.

	Though we've parted, the passion lingers
	like the special sweetness of Butterfingers;
	those nights were pure dolce far niente,
	but what we did was Good n' Plenty.
The idea of this sort of a collection is promising, the trouble is that too many of these works work by dropping a bon mot and not extending that idea any further. 
	The dance floor's bare, the band's long gone:
	Listen, honey: they're playing our song.
These individual pieces might be more enjoyable if they weren't all in one 95-page collection, it can be rather difficult to take this much cleverness and cynicism in a single dose.

Overall, I'm not sure I'd recommend this book; it doesn't seem to have a lot of staying power. On the other hand, the individual works might be useful if incorporated into handmade valentine's (sincere or bitter.) It's probably safest to quote Abraham Lincoln in regards to this book: "People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like."

This book is available for purchase at Amazon.Com.

[MAIL] Comments?
[BLENDER]Back To the Blender Digest