Invisible Histories Paperback – December 4, 2019 by Glen Armstrong (Author)
- Publisher : Cyberwit.net (December 4, 2019)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 46 pages
- ISBN-10 : 9389690021
- ISBN-13 : 978-9389690026
- Item Weight : 2.43 ounces
- Best Sellers Rank: #6,858,013 in Books
Invisible Histories is written by American author Glen Armstrong. Glen teaches writing at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters. He has published another book New Vaudeville and his work has appeared in many publications.
Aged 19 I went to Taize in France. I spent five days at the monastery founded by Brother Roger. Multi-denominational Christian it attracted young people from all over the world. Brother Roger was a charismatic abbot- when he spoke, his words permeated the soul. I bought a collection of words from his diaries. It was wonderful, I kept it at my side for over 25 years. But like a fool, I lent it to someone I wanted to impress. He probably never opened it and I’ve never seen it again. Lesson, never lend a book, particularly loved one. Why am I telling you this? One, the poetry collection I’m about to introduce is one to keep! Two, the style of its writing is very similar to that of Brother Roger’s.
Invisible Histories is written by American author Glen Armstrong. Glen teaches writing at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He edits a poetry journal called Cruel Garters. He has published another book New Vaudeville and his work has appeared in many publications.
Invisible Histories is prose poetry. Usually I pick up a poetry collection and read it over many months. I read Armstrong’s work in one sitting, some forty poems. For me a sign of a good writing is that it can be read on at least two levels. For example, CS Lewis’s The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. It’s a story about three kids who go through a wardrobe and have adventures in a different fantasy country. When I told an adult friend of mine that is was a Christian allegory, she was surprised. But remained loving the story for the res of her life. So it is with Armstrong’s work. For example, from the poem A Brief History of Philosophy, the final line is:
In the motel’s difficult mirrors, philosophers cut themselves shaving.
In some poetry there is a line that can be without and with meaning. These words tell us that philosophers cut themselves shaving. Or…well, so much more. Philosophers in their search for the truth, can fail, can cut themselves and miss the truth that is staring them in the mirror. They spend too much time staring in the mirror. Or maybe something else. That is the wonder of poetry. It can be what the poet intended or how the reader interprets it or according to TS Eliot, ‘a poem should excite, we should experience it before we begin to understand it.’
For me Armstrong does just that with this collection. Here is an example:
A Brief History of Starfish
When my daughters were young they never wavered when a goldfish died or something got at the babies in the birdhouse overnight. They never prayed their souls be kept by anyone before bedtime. At my mother’s funeral they viewed their grandma in her casket. They accepted this woman whom they loved reduced to hand puppet in her half open box. They wanted to know where her legs were. But the starfish was different. There in the charged white sand that would only get hotter as the day passed. Beautiful creature stranded mere inches from its dark and secret world. They asked if it was dead or alive. I didn’t know. Something they’d never seen before in their father’s face kept them from asking if they could pick it up and take it home.
Invisible Histories by, Glen Armstrong is published by Cyberwit and available from all good bookshops and online stores. AMAZON
Review c. John Eliot
A Brief History of Starfish c. Glen Armstrong