What do you think?
Rate this book
The Book of Poems and Conversational Triggers
My style of poetry is based on the concept of hook, deliver, and release. *The hook is an interesting title or first line. *The delivery is how the poem is conveyed. *The release is based on the number of lines the poem contains.
72 pages, Hardcover
First published June 11, 2012
5 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 24, 2015
The Book of Poems and Conversational Triggers, by Virgin Islands’ author Llewellyn George, is a slim collection of light verse juxtaposing alternate pages of poetry with pages containing lists of 10 opening lines for starting conversations. These “conversational triggers” are largely random, with little or no connection to the specific poem they face.
The poetry is not strong on imagery, but rather light meditations on love and life, tributes to parents, and grandparents, and small sermons on how to conduct oneself for happiness, peace of mind, and success. While George makes use of rhyme, both external and internal, it is sparse, and wonderfully unobtrusive. He achieves this by sprinkling his rhymes here and there as needed, like a carefully spiced tropical dish. So too are his occasional slips into his native island syntax; just enough to give a touch of flavor without devolving into a parody of itself. There is also the infrequent image, which sparkles all the brighter for its rarity: “Come closer and cover me with your sheet of passion/And let’s polish our lips with wetness as we caress.” The same strategy seems to hold true for the conversational triggers. For the most part, they are extremely banal – some to the point of absurdity – and this, I believe, is precisely the point. For just as his poems are sprinkled with the occasional rhyme, Creole grammar, and sporadic image, so too are these trite statements (“She’s so precious. Can you play pool. Some things will never change.”) seeded with the odd thought-provoking declaration (“Why is the IRS so powerful? Is there a hidden purpose to mega churches?”). Such statements are rendered that much more powerful by their proximity to the more hackneyed sentiments.
The Book of Poems and Conversational Triggers is a small treat that can be devoured in one sitting; a perfect companion for a day at the beach, or safely snug against a rainy day.
The poetry is not strong on imagery, but rather light meditations on love and life, tributes to parents, and grandparents, and small sermons on how to conduct oneself for happiness, peace of mind, and success. While George makes use of rhyme, both external and internal, it is sparse, and wonderfully unobtrusive. He achieves this by sprinkling his rhymes here and there as needed, like a carefully spiced tropical dish. So too are his occasional slips into his native island syntax; just enough to give a touch of flavor without devolving into a parody of itself. There is also the infrequent image, which sparkles all the brighter for its rarity: “Come closer and cover me with your sheet of passion/And let’s polish our lips with wetness as we caress.” The same strategy seems to hold true for the conversational triggers. For the most part, they are extremely banal – some to the point of absurdity – and this, I believe, is precisely the point. For just as his poems are sprinkled with the occasional rhyme, Creole grammar, and sporadic image, so too are these trite statements (“She’s so precious. Can you play pool. Some things will never change.”) seeded with the odd thought-provoking declaration (“Why is the IRS so powerful? Is there a hidden purpose to mega churches?”). Such statements are rendered that much more powerful by their proximity to the more hackneyed sentiments.
The Book of Poems and Conversational Triggers is a small treat that can be devoured in one sitting; a perfect companion for a day at the beach, or safely snug against a rainy day.
Displaying 1 of 1 review