The Harry Poems, A Cycle of Poems —by Michael L. Newell

Reviewed by Lenora Rain-Lee Good 

Nonfiction / poetry

Cyberwit.net

December 3, 2021

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 8182538327

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-8182538320

107 Pages

$15.00 USD

4 Stars

Harry Discovers Signs of Intelligent Life

“Scuff marks, frayed

edges, things

crumpled in corners, debris

half-buried, oh yeah,

people have been

here.”

Thus begins this delightful book about Harry. Our Harry is Everyman and, yes, Everywoman at one time or another. Possibly more times than we care to admit. He, like us, is tremendously likable at times, and tremendously irascible at other times.

Middle-aged, divorced, grown daughter out on her own, Harry at times pours the drink of self-pity, without ever being victim, or maudlin. He tells it as it is and accepts his responsibility. My biggest, and only, complaint is Newell seemed not to trust his own poetic ability. He has several short poems that I would have loved to see on their own page, with all the white space around them they were due, instead of having multiple poems on a page. I would have enjoyed being able to savor each poem without its partner jumping and waving and calling, “Read me. Read me.” Poems can be very loud and without manners when they so desire.

There are many nuggets of wisdom to delight over, scattered throughout these poems. In talking about Harry’s Apartment Concerto, he says “In the city / there is no such thing / as living alone.” Later, Harry discusses how you may not be living alone, but you may still be alone in Harry on Being Solitary, “There is…no solitude… / …that compares with being alone / in a crowd…” I’ve been there, and I bet you have, too.

A great book is one that sends me to the dictionary at least once. Harry, bless his everyman heart, sent me to the dictionary four times. Two were to check the spelling (Harry was correct) and two were to learn new words. For that, should I ever enter his corner bar, I will buy Harry a drink of his choice.

Some of the best poetic lines I’ve read come from Harry, “Wonder if lies spread as airborne spores.” and “…hopes hurled in every direction, / hurricane of javelins carved from bone, heart…”  One of my favorite lines being “…spring’s blossoms as they load / fields with violent color…” If you like poetry, you are in for a treat with this book. Take your time. Read and savor each poem. They are rich with color, texture, and many-layered tastes. Calorie-free chocolates.

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Lenora Rain-Lee Good recently returned to her beloved Pacific Northwest from Albuquerque, New Mexico to dance in the rain and write. Part Native American (Catawba) she is fascinated with history, and often incorporates historical events in her writing. Her poetry has most recently appeared in Quill & Parchment and Five Willows Literary Review, both online literary magazines. Washington 129, anthology of Washington State Poetry, chosen by Tod Marshall, the Washington State Poet Laureate, 2016-2018 and her collection, Blood on the Ground: Elegies for Waiilatpu published by Redbat Press. She has been an Author-Editor in the aerospace industry, and an Instructor in the WAC. Besides writing and selling her poetry, she has sold novels, radio plays, photographs, and even a quilt. However, she's joking about dancing in the rain. One, she doesn't dance, and two, she lives in the desert part of Washington.