Jigsaw Gary Catalano
Jigsaw is something I found at the Strand recently. Hmmm. I like some
of what I've read. A little Simic-y, a little Tate-y. He's Australian,
so I think some of the music is lost on my American ear. But some
of this stuff is pretty fucking good...
Image
What I looked once more
that fish I'd seen
gasping on the shore
of a poisoned sea
turned out to be
just a pair of scissors
lying on the floor
at the foot of my chair.
I dig the image a lot. However, the last two lines are a little
too cute... The only thing that's irritated me thus far is the endings
of the poems... Sometimes he goes for the cheap trick... Like this:
The Gift of Happiness
He possessed the gift of happiness. One day while passing
a doorway he bent down to tie up a loose shoelace. As he did
so someone tapped him on the shoulder, yet when he turned round
there was no one there. But happiness--and I mean happiness--has
descended on him. His spirits instantly lightened as he marched
blissfully forward, secure in the knowledge that he could not
endure the pain of a shoelace whipping against his ankle or
the pointed gaze of the passers-by. But what, you may ask,
caused them to stare? The fact that he wore nothing but shoes?
Or the fact that one of his shoelaces was loose?
See what I mean? The ending sucks. Too easy. Too ha-ha. But
I love the interjection, "and I mean happiness."
On the whole, I'd give the book a 6. It didn't suck, not at
all. It's very plain and clear, which is something I've come to
cherish over the past couple of years. He's an art critic, so there's
some stuff about painters. I didn't mind this one:
The postcard
It was great to get that card
which told us all about
your pad at Cap d' Antibes
but I can't go overboard
about your taste: Monet's okay
but if you insist
that a picture should contain
an expanse of smooth
or reasonably calm water
I guess you'd get far more
out of someone
like Daubigny
who, being minor,
doesn't bore one stiff
with his perfect eye.
On the whole. I'd say. Don't read this. Not worth it. It's nice.
It's quick. But I wouldn't pay money for it again.
|
|