Official Review: A Delighted Bat by J.C. Dowdy
Posted: 16 Dec 2020, 01:32
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A Delighted Bat" by J.C. Dowdy.]
A Delighted Bat is a brief volume of poetry by J.C. Dowdy. Most of the poems are written in a free-verse style. The poems are witty and wistful. They are interspersed with pictures which I believe to be free use images. The pictures and the poems work beautifully together.
The first poem, “Symbols,” involves a Rhodesian man and a Neanderthal arguing over the nature of a personified rose, specifically, the rose near Gethsemane. The Rhodesian man states:
“I choose not to waiver ignorance, the most sublime of tranquilities, the mate of “Humility’s Romance” when I refer to the rose as youth.”
The Neanderthal counters:
“Her parentage surely knew of harm, having any shield to protect against claims her petals carry potent charms; the prickles she bears shout revenge!”
The rose is a metaphor for faith, although not necessarily religious faith. The Rhodesian man goes on to say:
“no arborescent form from any simple norm, should shatter this garden I’ve grown, only “Man” truly withers never to return, while this plant, this plant returns!”
The Neanderthal adds:
“should the tundra yield and swallow this field, the “Rose” shall remain, and the truth, not the lies will live, I believe this belief to be real.”
There is beauty in having faith beyond one’s daily toil, and this poem embodies that beauty.
The poet’s words invite the reader to look behind the mask that others present to the world in the poem “Melancholia Insomnia,” where he writes:
“The clown revealed himself in parts,
Laughed with the crowd,
Then tearfully departed;
Leaving the loud, the commonly sane,
And the many laughing.”
Those who present a happy face to the world may not, in fact, be happy. However, most people are either too busy, too concerned with their own problems, or simply too “commonly sane” to notice. When I read this poem, I thought of Robin Williams and the tragic end of his life. He entertained and delighted so many of us, but in truth, he was struggling, even when he was smiling. The loud and the commonly sane were astounded to discover that a man who could make millions smile was, himself, desperately conflicted. But those of us who live lives of quiet desperation understand.
There was nothing that I disliked about this book. It is difficult to tell if poetry is professionally edited. There were two minor errors in the text. One was in the introduction, and I will include that as an uncounted error. The other was a typo with an opening quotation mark but no closing one. Based on the quality of the poems and the striking choice of images accompanying them, I give A Delighted Bat four out of four stars.
This book is a good choice for readers who enjoy modern, thoughtful, slightly quirky free-verse poetry. It would not be a good selection for a reader who prefers poetry that conforms to a more precise style and rhyme schemes.
******
A Delighted Bat
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Delighted Bat is a brief volume of poetry by J.C. Dowdy. Most of the poems are written in a free-verse style. The poems are witty and wistful. They are interspersed with pictures which I believe to be free use images. The pictures and the poems work beautifully together.
The first poem, “Symbols,” involves a Rhodesian man and a Neanderthal arguing over the nature of a personified rose, specifically, the rose near Gethsemane. The Rhodesian man states:
“I choose not to waiver ignorance, the most sublime of tranquilities, the mate of “Humility’s Romance” when I refer to the rose as youth.”
The Neanderthal counters:
“Her parentage surely knew of harm, having any shield to protect against claims her petals carry potent charms; the prickles she bears shout revenge!”
The rose is a metaphor for faith, although not necessarily religious faith. The Rhodesian man goes on to say:
“no arborescent form from any simple norm, should shatter this garden I’ve grown, only “Man” truly withers never to return, while this plant, this plant returns!”
The Neanderthal adds:
“should the tundra yield and swallow this field, the “Rose” shall remain, and the truth, not the lies will live, I believe this belief to be real.”
There is beauty in having faith beyond one’s daily toil, and this poem embodies that beauty.
The poet’s words invite the reader to look behind the mask that others present to the world in the poem “Melancholia Insomnia,” where he writes:
“The clown revealed himself in parts,
Laughed with the crowd,
Then tearfully departed;
Leaving the loud, the commonly sane,
And the many laughing.”
Those who present a happy face to the world may not, in fact, be happy. However, most people are either too busy, too concerned with their own problems, or simply too “commonly sane” to notice. When I read this poem, I thought of Robin Williams and the tragic end of his life. He entertained and delighted so many of us, but in truth, he was struggling, even when he was smiling. The loud and the commonly sane were astounded to discover that a man who could make millions smile was, himself, desperately conflicted. But those of us who live lives of quiet desperation understand.
There was nothing that I disliked about this book. It is difficult to tell if poetry is professionally edited. There were two minor errors in the text. One was in the introduction, and I will include that as an uncounted error. The other was a typo with an opening quotation mark but no closing one. Based on the quality of the poems and the striking choice of images accompanying them, I give A Delighted Bat four out of four stars.
This book is a good choice for readers who enjoy modern, thoughtful, slightly quirky free-verse poetry. It would not be a good selection for a reader who prefers poetry that conforms to a more precise style and rhyme schemes.
******
A Delighted Bat
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon