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Dwarf Stars 2007, edited by Deborah P. Kolodji and Stephen M. Wilson |
Many journals, webzines, books, magazines, and small presses will attest that there are never too few parking spaces on the rings of Saturn for speculative poetry. One reason for the increase in publishing this special brand of “very, very short” poetry is simply because more people are writing it.
Dwarf Stars 2007 is an anthology of some of the high caliber speculative poetry currently being written and published. Editors Deboah P. Kolodji (President of the Science Fiction Poetry Association) and Stephen M. Wilson (poetry editor of Doorways Magazine and a member of both the SFPA and the Horror Writers Association) are clear in stating that the collection is only a sampling of this art’s breadth and yet, these 41 poems of ten lines or less represent 23 different publications and 35 poets across eight countries from cover to cover.
Speculative poetry takes the very short structure of haiku and stretches its subject matter beyond nature to the cosmos. It encompasses genres such as horror, science fiction, fantasy, and surrealism, all of which are represented in the collection. Some examples:
"Thoughts on a Rosenquist Painting" by W.B. Keckler
The teeth. Seen up close, too close.
Our being-in-the-world.
What we eat is love. The egg,
the meat. And only we smile
to see a heart lose its beast.
by Darrell Lindsey:
music of the spheres:
the constant humming
of black holes
A few poems weave in humor or history, even current events, as in the following respective poems:
unfaithful husband--
a toast to the flesh-eating virus
in his drink
by Kevin Doran
Holocaust Museum
an alien visitor asks to borrow
one of my tears
by John J. Dunphy
"Testimony Given on the Firing of The Weapon"
Just rock--
that’s what I saw,
and fired when they told me.
One planet, many million lives,
just rock.
by Marcie Tentchoff
There’s even a poem in translation, written by Mariko Kitakubo and translated by Amelia Fielden and beings:
meiosei no
soto ni hirogaru...
beyond Pluto
extends dark sky...
These ecclectic poems are for readers craving a road trip within their budgets. Simply hit the pavement of your imagination and ponder the amazing mileage you get while traveling the extraordinary distances within these small poems.
As Peter Payak’s poem "Alien Invasion" insists:
These words are now inside your head.
And so this collection should be in your hands...because you need a map for your journey, don’t you?
Dwarf Stars 2007, edited by Deborah P. Kolodji and Stephen M. Wilson, Gromagon Press, copyright 2007 Science Fiction Poetry Association
copyright 2008
Julia
Bemiss |
