This Metal

by Auman Dan

SAME COVER AS STOCK PHOTO SHOWN. EDGEWEAR, CHAFING & DINGS ON COVERS AND SPINE. AUTHOR INSCRIPTION & SIGNATURE.

Genres: Poetry

123 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very glad I read these poems. They are poems about life in Pittsburgh and about life in the universe. They are poems about family, and they are poems about humanity. Sometimes they made me laugh. They almost all made me think. They made me remember, perhaps, best of all. They caused me to pause over the pictures I have in my life of my family, of my dear ones, even of my enemies. The author gives a lot here.

[Suzanne Manners · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joseph Bathanti is our state's Poet Laureate. I was honored to attend one of his writer's workshops when he was a guest speaker at our library, and loved that he could recite Bob Dylan's Idiot Wind when he learned I was a fan.

This Metal is a collection of poems about his life, family, and growing up Catholic in Pennsylvania. His use of metaphors to describe feelings is impressive, showing us memories that continue to spark and live. As a mother of boys, I enjoyed Washing Her Ruined Boy, and felt an ache for my sons, who are grown men now. I wish I could still comfort them today when things go wrong like I used to when they were small. In another poem about crossing the state line with a date, I was reminded of similar escapades in my high school years. Bathanti's poems illustrate emotions and tell stories that readers can connect to. This collection has more than a few that have become favorites of mine.