The Book of Whimsy

by Geoffrey A. Landis

The Book of Whimsy by Geoff Landis is subtle and profound, whimsical and witty, with poems such as "Ode to My Lover's Small Intestine" and "Sending My Mother to Mars." A master of various poetic forms, Landis uses pathos, humor, and often, deft rhyming to write poems that grab you by the shirt collar and pull you in close for a kiss.

Offering whimsy:

November roses
the last late blooms of summer--
wistful memories.

(Mary replies)

Those wistful roses
still blooming in November:
I think they're plastic.


and discovery:

Shout

I have to shout.

I have to shout
inside my head.
I have to shout
inside my head
to drown out the voices.

I have to shout
inside my head
to drown out the voices
of sanity and reason.

I have to shout
inside my head
to drown out the voices
of sanity and reason
so I can reach the madness.

I have to shout
inside my head
to drown out the voices
of sanity and reason
so I can reach the madness
in which genius is hidden.

The Book of Whimsy contains 44 pages of 39 poems, with the text printed on bright white paper. The cover is a textured white cardstock, with a cerulean blue-gray textured insert.

44 pages, Chapbook

First published August 18, 2015