The Daily Glance
Oliver de la Paz's Requiem for the Orchard is essentially three things in one. It deals with de la Paz's memories of his youth, it laments the passing of his youth's places, and it tries to negotiate a space for his son to have similar memories. The poems are clear and full of American childhoods. The titles alone tell much about the book: "Self-Portrait with a Spillway," "Self-Portrait with Schlitz, a Pickup, and the Snake River," and "In Defense of Small Towns." Change the beer type and the river name, and I'm right there on the banks. Ah, America's places and the desire to leave those places and look back in longing--De la Paz expresses this urge well, and because of the strength of his poetic voice, he makes these personal memories seem like something most people can understand.
I was irreverent in my youth. Not a hair of mine
was trained on words I said. At the first red flare,
I'd hurl curses. There were bees spiraling out of me.
Sometimes I wanted to gather them in the playground
with my bare hands, I thought, much like guiding water
into a plastic bag.
Oliver de la Paz's Requiem for the Orchard is essentially three things in one. It deals with de la Paz's memories of his youth, it laments the passing of his youth's places, and it tries to negotiate a space for his son to have similar memories. The poems are clear and full of American childhoods. The titles alone tell much about the book: "Self-Portrait with a Spillway," "Self-Portrait with Schlitz, a Pickup, and the Snake River," and "In Defense of Small Towns." Change the beer type and the river name, and I'm right there on the banks. Ah, America's places and the desire to leave those places and look back in longing--De la Paz expresses this urge well, and because of the strength of his poetic voice, he makes these personal memories seem like something most people can understand.
I was irreverent in my youth. Not a hair of mine
was trained on words I said. At the first red flare,
I'd hurl curses. There were bees spiraling out of me.
Sometimes I wanted to gather them in the playground
with my bare hands, I thought, much like guiding water
into a plastic bag.
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