With so many
companies fighting to be the first to offer space tourism, American poet Kenneth Pobo takes you there and beyond and back again in his whacky-wonderful
collection BOOKING ROOMS IN THE KUIPER BELT (Urban Farmhouse Press). And all
from a window seat with spectacular views.
Not only does Pobo create a believable journey, but offers laugh-out-loud humour as in-flight entertainment. From "WHITMAN IN McDONALDS" to Ginsberg in Heaven, there are many memorable poems you'll read out loud to your friends. My favourite, "JOSEPH", offers Pobo's take on being the stepfather to Jesus, and the unenviable task of living in the shadow of God:
Maybe he didn't mind
working behind the scenes,
watching his son
grow up to look
nothing like him,
a kid who said,
"I'm the King of Heaven,
dad. Thanks for everything."
Pobo then takes us deep into the community of the universe; planetary personifications offer alternate views of our celestial neighbours, with a familiarity close the home. "RED PLANET GREEN" looks at Earth stepping out of a fitting room
wearing a natty ocean
the envy
of Mars
Pobo then returns us home with an elegant landing, highlighted by "9/11: LAVENDER MEMORIAM", a subtly-charged elegy to the gay firefighters lost on 9/11 that history fails to mention:
We are human beings.
Lavender.
We too
sleep in ashes.
From cosmically comical to heartbreakingly real, this is a collection from a very gifted, and very imaginative poet. What a voyage. BOOKING ROOMS IN THE KUIPER BELT has earned a place on my shelf among my favorites.
To book your flight, visit Urban Farmhouse Press HERE
Not only does Pobo create a believable journey, but offers laugh-out-loud humour as in-flight entertainment. From "WHITMAN IN McDONALDS" to Ginsberg in Heaven, there are many memorable poems you'll read out loud to your friends. My favourite, "JOSEPH", offers Pobo's take on being the stepfather to Jesus, and the unenviable task of living in the shadow of God:
Maybe he didn't mind
working behind the scenes,
watching his son
grow up to look
nothing like him,
a kid who said,
"I'm the King of Heaven,
dad. Thanks for everything."
Pobo then takes us deep into the community of the universe; planetary personifications offer alternate views of our celestial neighbours, with a familiarity close the home. "RED PLANET GREEN" looks at Earth stepping out of a fitting room
wearing a natty ocean
the envy
of Mars
Pobo then returns us home with an elegant landing, highlighted by "9/11: LAVENDER MEMORIAM", a subtly-charged elegy to the gay firefighters lost on 9/11 that history fails to mention:
We are human beings.
Lavender.
We too
sleep in ashes.
From cosmically comical to heartbreakingly real, this is a collection from a very gifted, and very imaginative poet. What a voyage. BOOKING ROOMS IN THE KUIPER BELT has earned a place on my shelf among my favorites.
To book your flight, visit Urban Farmhouse Press HERE
