EXTENDED REVIEW

Pogo Stick, Issue II, edited by Lillian Kopaska-Merkel

Pogo Stick publishes poetry and stories by authors 17 years old and younger.  After reading the poetic offerings inside (and the fiction as well), I hope these talented authors will continue their creative efforts.

"Colors" by Anna Bailey

Author Bailey gives us the most formal poem of this issue in terms of meter and rhyme scheme.  However, she cleverly slips in colors we didn't expect -- lime? Isn't that just green? But of course it isn't, and silver isn't white and gold isn't yellow.  A polychromatic poem that takes us beyond simple rainbow colors.

"Halloween Zombies" by Eric Goodzey

I enjoyed the ambiguity of this poem -- are the "zombies/Decomposing like rotting wood" really undead creatures that mingle annually with human trick-or-treaters? Or are they children imagining themselves something more appropriate for Halloween?

"Nervous" by Jackie Bryan

In "Nervous" Bryan describes a nerve-wracking climb on a ladder, using a creative format that at once mimics the shape of a ladder and the jerky alternating hand motions of someone climbing it.  Short, (mostly) one-syllable words evoke both the effort of climbing and the fear of falling.  This is a clever and satisfying use of a patterned poem.

"Paradise" by Claudia Wainer

Wainer's uncomplicated celebration of her "paradise" makes the reader want to be there -- the author doesn't specify whether the ocean-side location is conventionally tropical or a colder clime (we have both a chilly ocean and a warm sun), which allows for interpretation of one's own personal paradise. 

"Dinner Party" by Kitty Deluca

In "Dinner Party" Deluca invites a raindrop to dinner, and as a result a whole shower "does the tango/With Mother's mop."  Whimsical, with a sophisticated mastery of the rhythms of free verse, this poem is a delight.