Book Review by Phoebe Wilcox
Author: David LaBounty Title: Moon Chalk David LaBounty has a day job that involves tires, and the poetry laid out in his debut book of poetry, Moon Chalk (Elm Ridge Books, 2011) seems to have something akin to tires in the simplicity of its structure, its strength and essentiality. Now, if the poems are like tires, that's not to say that someone should burn this book like a redneck after reading it, or somehow turn it into a swing for the kids to crowd into on a summer afternoon. No, these wheels promise pleasant drives. LaBounty writes sensitively and accessibly of everyday tragedy and revelation. In "orgasm" he handles a surprise question from a child with an answer that effectively evades the question while also providing the perfect poetic answer. In "thoughts on sylvia and john" he writes of longing to join simple things and then by the final stanza, has done so beautifully. Early in the book, "considering apples and other things" is a powerful analysis, almost an interrogation, of the idea of adultery. LaBounty sorts through the wreckage of divorce, finds pain, but also shining bits of beauty. The poem, "steam," which finds the author writing in the steam of his bathroom mirror, affirms a resilience of spirit that makes the reader want to stand up and applaud-or at the very least read it aloud to anyone who might be around. This is a thoroughly enjoyable book and my advice to the literary enthusiast is: do not lend this one out-you may not get it back. |