Dearest Creature

"...Some of us grow up doing
credible impressions of model citizens
(though sooner or later hairline
cracks appear in our facades). The rest
get dubbed eccentrics, unnerved and undone
by other people's company, for which we
nevertheless pine..."
from "For My Niece Sidney, Age Six")

Gerstler's poems are witty and surreal. With humor she examines her place in the world as well as observes what others do as well. Her poetry does not judge us on some self-righteous principles, but in sort of the same fond way we remember with a chuckle or a smile what we used to think or do as a child - while still handling very tough themes such as suffering, love, and survival.This collection of poetry takes you through an open letter to her nice about how she show more already sees her younger self in her; in another poem, furniture and kitchen appliances come to life in order to console the narrator; there is an interview with a dog who explains the mystery as to why right after a bath he feels the need to roll in muck; and a tale about Frankenstein's monster and his wife and how they are getting along. This is a charming collection of poetry; very fun, very modern, and I believe very relevant. Gerstler is really a gem in modern American poetry. show less

Manic poems, overflowing with words, too often rushing by and over with no penetration.

I have so many thoughts
zipping around my head and I'm trying to fit
them all into words...

Thanks, "Dearest Creature," that sums it up pretty nicely. I didn't find much to enjoy in the first half of this collection. I see now why your daily prayers are soooo important... ugh, not to mention a pale winter sun/that hung over my house like a sucked/cough lozenge. No thanks.

The second half had some I liked all right. "Untranslatable" slings around old-time sounding cliches to amusing effect (he tried to put the bite on me right there in the speakeasy/for a hundred clams like I would ever have that kind of dough/you can bet your sweet ass I told him where show more to go). "Mrs. Monster Pens Her Memoirs" about two wounded bodies and souls finding relationship. "Dig", about humanness under profession (That frayed inhalation the microphone picks up,/that amplified fragment of animal gasp//is what gets me: precursor to all creaturely music. and My roaring inner wish/was to dunk his fingers in strong coffee and nibble//them like buttermilk crullers back home. If I'd had/any sense I would have said so in his guttural native tongue.)

1.5 stars for the first half, 3 stars for the second. show less

Poetry
I enjoyed these imaginative, fun poems. Recommended. Here's an example:

Advice from a Caterpillar

Chew your way into a new world.
Munch leaves. Molt. Rest. Molt
again. Self reinvention is everything.
Spin many nests. Cultivate stinging
bristles. Don't get sentimental
about your discarded skins. Grow
quickly. Develop a yen for nettles.
Alternate crumbling and climbing. Rely
on your antennae. Sequester poisons
in your body for use at a later date.
When threatened, emit foul odors
in self-defense. Behave cryptically
to confuse predators: change colors, spit,
or feign death. If all else fails, taste terrible.