4 out of 4 stars
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Formalities, first: I give this collection 4 out of 4 stars.
Has poetry not run its course yet? In terms of lyrical and timed wordings and lines, I almost exclusively think of two juxtaposed classifications: Classic poetry and rap music. Two genres, though both alike in dignity, (yes, that is a Shakespeare reference lol) are separated by centuries, convention, and societal acceptance/stereotypes. Both genres use colorful verbosity and metaphorical rhetoric to pander directly to the audience that seeks them out. Both genres ask the listener to challenge what they know and identify with the portrait being painted in front of them. Sometimes both genres even rhyme. But rarely does a modern-day classic manage to capture both the sophistication of yore and the passionate, angry, raw, sentimental and beautiful world of today. To answer my own question of whether or not poetry has run its course, I will say that as long as Doug Bentley is writing poetry, it has not.
In A Canadians Poems, Bentley offers many different views on everything from politics and religion to science and nostalgia. I absolutely adore poetry that steps out of the every-other-line-rhymes type of poems and opens the reader up to the possibility of flow. More poems than not in this collection asked the reader to step out of their own mind and focus solely on the words, and subsequently the issues the poems dealt with. The poem "Ink Sketch" specifically asks the reader to clear their mind and begin reading ten seconds from then. Honestly, that small exercise, the simplicity of 10 seconds of clarity, allowed the reader to fully understand the poem, instead of just seeing words that may not make sense.
Several pieces from this collection warrant reading at least once, (I happened to read this book 3 times and my favorite pieces more than that, but that's beside the point lol) however a few of the most powerful poems are the most unsuspecting. Like "Lion's Paw," or "Ark," or "Eat, Drink, Be Merry." These were beautifully crafted with talent and passion that some contemporary writers completely lack.
I would recommend this book to people who are lovers of words, prose, conceptual art. They will see the talent of the author from the start and it will be an enjoyable read for them. I also would recommend this title to those who say they don't enjoy modern poetry. I was one of those people until I read this. While modern poets aren't entirely my thing, if Doug Bentley writes it, I'll give it a go. Definitely check this one out!
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A Canadian's Poems
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