5Q, 4P
This short collection of poetry by Paul Jeneczko, typifies a bygone era full of greasers and nickle & dime establishments, diners and railroad bridges, baseball and light-hearted hooliganism. Spanning the length of a single summer between 8th and 9th grade, the poems are told from the perspective of an unnamed narrator who tells, with profound simplicity and delightful focus, the stories of the people who inhabit his small milltown. Hanging over any musings on crime or lust are the expostulations of the narrator's Catholic nun 8th grade teachers. Threading throughout the collection is a deep friendship with Raymond and a robust appreciation of baseball and singular characters.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this slim volume and would recommend it to anyone who evinces even the slightest interest in poetry of the common man. While a few passages of flowery verse can be found in Brickyard Summer, for the most part, it is truthful poetry about reality written from the entirely humble and beautiful perspective of 14-year old boy. ( )