The Night Highway By Christopher Hivner

The Night Highway

By Christopher Hivner

ISBN:  978-81-8253-775-0

99 Pages

Copyright 2021

Review by LB Sedlacek

The first poem in this new poetry book sets the stage for the feel and them of the rest of the collection.  The author uniquely places a time of day/night above each poem to further give the reader a sense of when it’s taking place. 

The poems give you the impression of what it’s like to spend an evening on into early morning with the author.  The settings are fascinating.  It reminds me of staying up all night, or staying up late to see stars or the moon, or getting up early to see the sunset.

From the poem “The Night Highway”

12:07 a.m.

“I’m out here again,

the music of the barely there

playing on the stereo

while I drive

into a night

devoid of stars

but blinding with the artificial luminescence

of porch lights, car head lamps

and streetlights.

I am the only real thing

among the man-made

detritus of the road.”

This poem is like taking a long drive out into the night.  Sometimes, it’s good to just go somewhere without a destination and simply drive.

What a musical interlude of poems.  Hivner writes poems about many different things you might encounter during an evening or in the early morning hours (or not) such as Zombies, stars, Cassiopeia, and quiet streets. 

My favorite poem was “The Light is a Storyteller.”  Here are some lines from the poem:  “The light

is a storyteller / taking the stage / for a twelve-hour play, / one long soliloquy /searching for a plot…”  I could really envision being enveloped within this poem.

I like the way the author has taken time and incorporated it into the poems, but also used it as a reference through the book.  It’s a new spin on a poetry collection. 

Hivner has put together an awe-inspiring book of poems.  He’s been able to capture the glory of a sunset, the promise of a sunrise, and the possibilities of the wee hours of the night into words!

~LB Sedlacek’s latest poetry book is “Ghost Policy.”  She is also the author of the poetry collections “I’m No ROBOT,” “Words and Bones,” “Simultaneous Submissions,” “Swim,” and “The Poet Next Door.”  Her non-fiction books include “The Poet Protection Plan” and “Electric Melt:  How to Write, Publish, Read Walt Whitman and Survive as a Writer and Poet).  Her short story collection is entitled “Four Thieves of Vinegar & Other Short Stories.”  She writes poetry reviews for  www.thepoetrymarket.com  Find out more:  www.lbsedlacek.com