Dave Smith (2) (1942–)

These poems were skillfully written, but they just weren't my cup of tea. Some were difficult to understand (because of the characters' dialects?) and some just seemed to lack an emotional punch. Others were fun to read. Smith does offer some beautiful imagery, and I am impressed by the way he continually draws on his ties to the region as a source of inspiration. I suspect that I would have enjoyed these poems much more if I had been a fan of modern poetry; as it is, I tend to love best show more that literature which was written in the nineteenth century, with more traditional forms and rhymes. If I had been rating the book's quality and not my enjoyment, I would have given it four stars. They are good poems.

There is not much in this collection that seems to related to Poe. The book is divided into several sections, only one of which deals with Poe, and even there, the connection feels minimal. The tone and content differ sharply from Poe's works. The regional ties, more than poetry or style, connect Smith to Poe, and this collection seems to acknowledge a sort of "following in Poe's footsteps." The poems do evoke a sense of wonder as being in the same place as Poe a century later, but these poems' beauty comes from some other source. It would be interesting to see what the book would have been like with a different title. I would like to have read these for the first time with a blank slate, rathering than trying to understand the poems by using Poe as an analytical lens. show less

Most of what's here isn't bad, but there's little here to really stand out or come across as something you'd want to come back to for a second read or a deeper consideration.