A SMALL ANSWER TO A LARGE QUESTION

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Boles’ poem serenades long gone Beat figures. It was writ- ten in 1986, long after the demise of the Beat era, but still relative to the post-Beat generation. The years have passed, but the poem has not lost anything in its visionary appeal. When I read the poem, I thought of my friend, the late Jack Micheline, and I pictured him reading it at a po- etry reading. It’s a poem that works well on the written page, but I feel it would be stronger still if read out loud. I like clarity in poetry, so that a reader doesn’t have to struggle with strained syntax or inventive grammar. Boles’ poem does not disappoint. This is the kind of book to read over a cup of coffee and leaves you with the feeling you are being given permission to enter the landscape he has drawn. Boles’ range is impressive, with a large capacity of genu- ine feeling. There is no pretension here. The poem speaks with an authentic vision, all to often lacking in today’s po- etry world. The strength prevails throughout the poem as if the reader was sitting across the table from the poet en- gaged in a lively conversation. a.d. winans / 03-17-2011