The Daily Glance
Angela Szczepaniak's Unisex Love Poems is in its own universe. It's a book of poetry, drama, monologue, satire, cooking, and much more. Really, I'd love to see this one produced on a stage. It has an odd story with many meandering story lines thrown in. Ultimately, it reminds me more of Beckett than of any poet, but the poetry in the book is controlled well. Szczepaniak varies the style according to the poem, though there are repeating types of poems in the book, such as poems that describe how to cook various human organs and ones that give satirical courtship advice. She quotes Jonathan Swift, and his sprite-like presence in this book seems appropriate.
Mince pancreas to a fine pulp
Submerge under a slow and
viscous gravy
Simmer several pairs of hog trotters
in lemonbreezed broth
Split between toes when tender enough
to snap sinew
This book is a more unified whole than anything that I've read recently. It has loose ends, but they seem to fit with the rest of the book.
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