Hey Victor, this is a review of John Dorsey's new book. It was reviewed by Jack Henry. 

 

"Holy Toledo!  The Sonnet River Volume"
John Dorsey
Sleepy Brooklyn Colorado 2008, 137 pgs, Hardcover

Reviewed by Jack Henry (review submitted by Christopher Robin)

    "Holy Toledo!" is not a great title.  This may piss off the writer or whoever came up w/it, but it reminds me of a Loonie Tunes Cartoon.  And that image is 180 degrees from the strength of content just as All-American blue balled christians are 180 degrees from reality.
    That's my only complaint.  Well nearly so.  "Holy Toledo" is organized by year, 2007 to 2003.  That is how it is organized in the text and that's a mistake.  
    The poetry of John Dorsey is a journey, deeply metaphysical and metaphorical, but a challenging flight of growth and evolution.  Putting newer poems to the front denies the reader to get the sense of growth, however subtle, however nuanced, of the poet.
    End complaints.

    John Dorsey is a terrific poet.  I used to think I was a poet but after reading Dorsey I realized I am a grave digger.  With his unique use of what I call asymmetric meter, Dorsey's poetry challenges the reader.  It is different each time.  While reviewing the text I read it several times, including back to front a couple of times.

    Below is an example of this asymmetric meter:

    From "canadian basement blues"

        it's true i saw
        a girl dreaming zombie
        blues shooting pennies out
        of her little mary
        sunshine until abraham lincoln
        got up and walked
        off she was the
        ghost of calamity
                jane

    Dorsey denies the reader punctuation to know where the starts and stops should be, thus truly forcing the reader to insert their own measure and rhythm to a piece, and also forcing absolute reader interpretation of a given lines, stanzas and entire poems.  This is subtle but very calculated.  Any other poet might break blues and shooting pennies out on the third line of the above selection.  Also, off and she was the from the seventh stanza might require a break but it would change meaning, and it would falsify the meter of style.
    Another style characteristic true to a Dorsey poem are the one liners, or one-off's, that may or may not hold value within the piece as a whole, but often demand their own attention in a singular us-age.
    For example:

    From "mermaid blues"

        when you're 16 yrs
        old every little thing
        feels like a love
        song written in the
        key of a minor apocalypse

    A damning start to a great poem.  Again the use of asymmetric meter and a purposeful lack of punctuation force the reader to interpret and think for him or herself.

    One of the best examples of a Dorsey poem is listed below in its entirety:

    "the last stencils on earth"

        it figures that the
        last product of real
        revolution would be hiding
        in some cellar in
        mexico pancho villa
        gene bloom together
        swallowing words soaked in
        blood fighting mad in
        the sacramento sun they
        don't make bullets like
        this anymore some say
        they never
                    did

    The cadence and meter are strong but jagged, meaning that it is not a simplistic, linear voice, rather it rattles the reader in the manner they look at and absorb the words.  It is challenging, intelligent but by no means simplistic.  There is a great depth that the first blush and understanding.      This again points to my desire to have the format changed from new to old to old to new.  You get a greater sense of the poet's growth.  His form develops.
    Some of the poems from 2003 and 2004 dig at the beginning of style.

    from "pink plastic flamingos"

        exist simply
        for those
        who refuse
        to put

        a limit
        on miracles
        and everyone
        else, well
        fuck them
                    anyway
    
    The ending is too easy.  However by 2007 section you have a seemingly simplistic poem that is anything but:

    the ballad of ass masterson

        america is a sad
        cowboy song of unrequited
        hate edited to the
        teeth with love one
        nation wire tapped under
        god with liberty and
        bootlegged sex tapes for
                        all
    This is Dorsey in full effect.

    To conclude, John Dorsey is one the finest writers of this generation and writes to a level many poets should aspire too.  Often a poet will write without a sense of style, I am guilty of this, many are, but if you write long enough, and are honest enough, your style becomes the yoke of every day writing.  Dorsey has this.
    "Holy Toledo!  The Sonnet River Volume" is a great book.  It includes many of my favorites by Dorsey and newer ones I am unfamiliar.  You get a sense of the growth of the poet's eye and voice, as well as a definitive style.  I highly recommend adding this volume to your collection. To order e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . The book is 30 dollars.

~ Jack Henry