MultiVerse: Speculative Poetry Reviews

ChiZine Issue #24: April–June 2005

"Keepers (from Grannie's Garden)" by Mary E. Choo

This is a spooky, slow-burning poem that gets more ominous as it goes on. My mind kept drifting towards more benign images of gnomes, hoping there would be a happier twist just around the corner, but with no luck. Instead of finding out it was a misunderstanding, the gnomes themselves are getting scarier, and I found myself feeling squeamish about Grannie by the end. JM

"Pay Close Attention" by Marcy Italiano

I want to not like this poem. It is prose-like and simplistic. But it has a cute little twist in the end that makes me smile, and how can one not like that? JM

"A Flaming Death is not for Me" by Mark McLaughlin

Vivid language contrasted with a leisurely pace combine to form this effective poem. It shows that although man has grown so sophisticated as to have special establishments just for oil changes, we are still not safe from all threats. Even in the midst of civilization, the most primitive fears still reign. JM

"Returning a Baby Shower Gift" by Samuel Minier

The scene described is returning a pink kangaroo given as a baby shower present. It took me a couple of readings to get the meaning, but its gut-wrenching point is clearly stated in the last two words. After that, each understated line underlines the pain. It becomes fitting that so much is unsaid. You can almost see the tears being held back. JM

"An American Gothic Encounter of the Third Kind" by Marge Simon

This poem flows well, but it takes a long time to get to a fairly predictable punch line. JM

"Cancer" by Lucy A.E. Ward

This poem has such rich imagery, that I feel crude to think of asking for meaning. There are hints, poking around the corners, but they are elusive. Still, it is entrancing to follow them, and the final stanza is lush enough to stand on its own. JM

Poe Little Thing: The Digest of Horrific Poetry, Donna Taylor Burgess, Editor

Read the extended review here.

Abyss & Apex Issue 14: 2nd Quarter 2005

Read the extended review here.

Mythic Delirium Issue 11, Summer/Fall 2004

"If Only" by Kendall Evans

A mere two lines long, this whimsical and evocative poem left paw prints scattered across my imagination. EM

"Three Observations Upon the Discovery That Water Once Existed Upon Mars" by Bud Webster

This is a cleverly written poem that comments on certain aspects of Earth culture through creative uses and views of Martian water. EM

"The Night Priests (for the lost ones of Cuidad Juarez)" by Ann K. Schwader

A mythic past casts a long and deadly shadow across present day Mexico in this darkly compelling poem. EM

"The Laying-Out" by Sonya Taaffe

One long sentence, this poem's grimly rich and evocative examination of seasonal change is worth a careful reading. EM

"Elitenment--as Near Your All-Nite Pharmacy" by Laurel Winter

Pointed yet amusing, this short poem evoked from me a lingering Buddha smile. EM

Shadows of Saturn April/May 2005, Issue #1

"Awaiting the Dust of Martyrs" by Greg Beatty

The debut issue of the new e-zine Shadows of Saturn begins promisingly, poetry-wise, with Greg Beatty’s meditation on the colonization of Mars. Would-be settlers wait for Earthly organic material, literally the “dust of martyrs,” to engender water and life on the Martian surface and contemplate a landscape at once familiar and alien. The SFnal conceit of this piece could have been teased into a short story; collapsed into a poem, however, its technological aspects give way to its human dimension. SH

Strange Horizons April, 18 2005

"Crazy Box" by Rio Le Moignan

Strange things happen when you turn on a Time Machine, as the narrator of this poem learns to her cost. Full of unlikely, vibrant images, this piece is quirky and humorous – until the last line. SH

Rather cryptic; a poem that yields more clues the more you puzzle it out. Did the shoe grow or did you shrink? Are you imprisoned for desecrating a tomb? Or by your wife, who may or may not be a witch? SH

"Pale Girl" by Charlee Jacobs

Poe’s child-bride on a coroner’s table, intensely imaged. SH

"Tender" by Jennifer Jerome

A chilling and elegant monologue by an urbane serial killer. One can only imagine the expressions on the arresting officers’ faces . . . . SH

"What Tastes Best, and How to Eat It" by William P. Simmons

In an old photograph, the veil of reality is stripped away, and a frozen scene of impending menace remains. I don’t know what is approaching the short man in the sun hat, but it doesn’t bode well. SH

Tim Pratt leads his readers up a winding and dark road in "A Bestiary: Tlatecuhtli," to a mythic yet gritty destination. Evocative, smooth, and creepy, this poem is worth savoring over several readings. EM

In "Kingdom of Dust and Steel," Yoon Ha Lee conjures a vividly grey world of patient and intelligent rodents expanding invisibly below our own. Ms. Lee evokes a mood at once whimsical, wondrous, and grim with this excellent poem. EM (In the interest of full disclosure, I have a poem in this issue of Abyss & Apex.)

In "Keepers (from Grannie's Garden)," Mary E. Choo takes a pair of common garden decorations and molds them with dark precision into something sinister. This well-crafted poem should be read at dusk while overlooking a shadowed garden. EM

In "Cranes," Mary Pat Mann paints a playful picture of three elderly women in Ireland who encounter an American tourist. Although a bit predictable, the poem is still vivid and entertaining. EM (In the interest of full disclosure, I have a poem in this issue of Mytholog.)

In "Once upon a Time," Jaime Lee Moyer uses simple but effective language to toy with fairy tale tropes in her depiction of a seer fleeing the unforeseen consequences of his actions. This poem is certainly worth a read. EM

Through the darkly imaginative perceptions of a child, Sonya Taaffe's "Hunting Season," brings an ancient and frightening myth to vivid life. Beautiful and chillingly ambiguous, this poem alone is worth the price of of this excellent small press magazine. EM

Beautifully evocative, with a concluding whipcrack that transcends irony and restores an old-fashioned Sense of Wonder. SH

This clever ballad reminded me of Kipling's Barracks-Room songs, although it goes on a little long. A classic yarn with an ending worthy of Heinlein's blind poet, Rhysling. SH

In "Gargoyle," John Borneman explores the dark extremes of patience and yearning in this well-written poem. EM (This poem was not reviewed by SH due to her membership in a poetry writing group to which Mr. Borneman also belongs.)