REVIEW: 39 Poems, by Charles J. Butler ISBN 978-0-9772718-8-7 Publication date 2010 74 pages No Shirt Press, Brooklyn, NY
REVIEW BY JOY LEFTOW Reading through the 39 Poems brought to mind Hitchcock’s movie, The 39 Steps because each poem stretches the reader and the page towards the next poem and set of steps without explaining where he is going. Also the poems on the pages of the book are laid out in emulation of climbing up and down steps so that while reading I felt like I was skipping steps. Each poem relates to life’s struggles; the various ways love affects us and how meaningful respect is. He writes about everyday things moving us up and down steps lyrically and emotionally. Butler describes how one can be oblivious to a murder and walk across bloodstains on our big city streets without recognizing them in the book’s first poem, Crimson Stroll. Suddenly while stepping over the red brown stains, the author recognizes it for what it is, seeing a stark vivid beauty of someone’s life bled out on the streets. Someone’s life bled out At your feet Think on it Times you bled Times you made others bleed Look on it Big dark path on 8th ave Brooklyn side in your way look on it the fuel that moves us all dried out on a dirty sidewalk who bled … are they dead a dark stain beautiful a bit of Canada flashes up your neck
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