Plain-Written Poems

Anthony Antin
Outskirts Press (2009)
ISBN 9781432738174
Reviewed by Leslie Granier for Reader Views (03/10)

 

In the foreword, Anthony Antin discusses how poetry has changed throughout the years - for the worse.  He notes, “It seems that all you need to do to make a poem is to write a piece of prose, break it up into short lines and set them in stanzas.”  He also marvels at the preposterous idea that it is not necessary for others to understand what the poet is saying because poetry is a personal thing.  He discusses the lack of word patterns and rhythmic flow in today’s poetry.  In “Plain-Written Poems” he attempts to recapture the items he believes have been removed from poetry in an effort to return poems to their historical importance.

Antin covers a myriad of topics in this book including politics, sports, and religion.  He also writes about changes that take place as people get older.  (Antin is in his 80s so he definitely has firsthand knowledge of this.)  His poems vary widely in tone.  Some are funny while others are serious.  Some rhyme but others do not.  However, they all have a definite rhythm that makes them pleasant to read.  For the most part, the meaning behind the poems is easy to understand.  However, some of them will resonate more with individuals who have had similar experiences to those of the author.

I enjoyed both the style and the substance of the poems.  The book is very short (only thirty-eight pages) but I believe the author achieved his goal.  He composed his works in the traditional sense of what a poem is.  He includes timely topics as well as personal experiences.  The lines on the pages are arranged in a way to keep the aesthetic value of the poems.

“Plain-Written Poems” by Anthony Antin is targeted towards adults.  It provides a nice diversion from life’s everyday difficulties.  It is refreshing to see an author create works in which he truly believes.  It is also great to be able to read poems that are straight-forward and clean.  As with all poetry, some poems will be more meaningful than others.  But everyone will find something they can relate to in this book.

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