Poetry

These poems, which examine the spiritual as well as the psychological effects of being a Christian, offer an amalgam of diverse yet related influences: John Donne's "Holy Sonnets"; Alfred, Lord Tennyson's In Memoriam A.H.H.; and Emily Dickinson's "Behind me--dips Eternity--." Another significant source may also be apparent: the sonnet sequences of such Renaissance poets as Edmund Spenser, Sir Philip Sidney, and William Shakespeare. However, although the poems in Galactic Pilgrim generate a sense of thematic sequence, and although--composed of octets with variable rhyme schemes--they proceed in the same stanzaic form, they are, most decidedly, not sonnets. Rather, they are, as samples of formal poetry, what their author prefers to call either "triads" (since each poem contains three stanzas) or "quaternals" (a coinage that underscores the role of the reader as the fourth component, the co-creative entity, that responds to, and intertwines with, each triadic structure). All in all, reflecting key concepts from Jungian psychology and the new physics, these patterned lyrics seek to unfold--through form no less than through content--a unified and coherent philosophic vision steeped in the model life of the Christian Redeemer.

Johnny Flaherty's latest book Gimme Liberty I Can Smell ! is a bold collection of neobeat poetry homaging a motley array of heroes. It's a maverick's manifesto that promotes "individualism" in a world enamored with collectivism. It promotes "freedom" in a society that values wealth and power above all else. And it promotes "pacifism" in a country waging perpetual war. Nevertheless, the author is undaunted by this challenge, believing that "to keep a flame burning" is a worthy goal in itself. With the ease of an old-school bard, Johnny blends storytelling with unflinching social commentary spiced with dry wit, satire, and paradox. At times, he plays the devil's advocate, and on occasion turns history on its head. His tone is often existential, while his outlook is optimistic, encouraging readers to acquire a taste for unflavored truth. His poems explore many ways liberty is experienced and enjoyed; then, too, how it is so often repressed. Neil Dale's freewheeling illustrations, combining whimsy with drama, augment the book's spirit. And from the poem of the old lady on a park bench: "Life necessitates courage !"

Troubling things are happening at a small town asylum. Trapped in a patient room during a riot, one nurse records what might be her final thoughts-and peers into the minds of her subjects in a series of disturbing stories. Fearing for her life, she desperately waves her hand through the bars of her window hoping someone will notice and help... but by then it may be too late.