****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
In his latest published compilation of poems, close to 500 of them, Simon Perchik somehow manages to capture in writing the dark beauty others (if they are lucky) can only begin to imagine (and impermanently at that) during sleep or daydreams. The poetry, to Perchik's credit, defies conventional analysis, so original, dynamic and abstract is their form. As he freely admits, he generally eschews adjectives, in the belief that they tend to dilute the power of his poetic line. And in this reviewer's opinion, he is surely correct. His subjects, most often death, loss and grief come from within the depth of his soul --- indeed written in such a way that the reader is led to places they are more likely not to go otherwise. But this makes the poetry more impactful, original and ---yes--- more beautiful than much of what passes for "modern" poetry today. Here, as in virtually all his prior volumes, he derives his inspiration from books of photographs which in some mysterious way stimulates his unconscious and inspires him, fearlessly, to put images in words on paper that otherwise might be too painful or, yes, too ordinary to result in the art which makes his poetry so original and impactful. His imagery is not always logical, not always clear --- but therein lies the art. I have been reading his poetry for years, and I can honestly say this volume contains the best of the best. It is fearless, intriguing and almost always packs a wallop. You might have trouble deciphering some of it if you rely on traditional logic, but you are guaranteed to come away with experiential rewards that an "easy" read would not be worth your time. But with every poem in this essential volume, you'll know in your gut, if not in your analytical mind, that you've been somewhere very important emotionally. And that, in the final analysis, is what successful poetry is about.
