Post by johnyamrus on Jan 1, 2007 10:26:32 GMT -6
I’ve known for Gerald Locklin 30 years now. Back then I was managing a clothing store in Reading, Pennsylvania and publishing a cheap literary quarterly that leaned toward poetry because that’s what I wanted and that’s what I did. Distribution for the magazine was small…the number of subscriptions was even smaller. But every couple of months I’d get a stack of poems sent to me by Locklin, who by that time was already a big name in the underground press. And, gentleman that he is, he wouldn’t just submit his poems, he would also write these long, wonderfully chatty and informative letters about anything and nothing…about the water dripping in his sink and about the literary lions he’d occasionally meet up with. Anything. Nothing. Things that meant a lot to someone publishing an under-appreciated and hardly read little magazine. I can’t tell you how much I looked forward to those letters and those poems. The poems were fresh and vibrant and funny and alive. The letters, equally so.
Now, all these years later, he’s still turning out some of the most consistently good poetry you’ll ever hope to find. It’s astonishing to me to think that he’s published somewhere around 130 books. Not only that, but California State University in its Locklin collection has catalogued more than 3,000 of his published poems! That’s just the ones they’ve found! My guess is the real number is significantly higher.
His newest book of poetry is called NEW ORLEANS, CHICAGO, AND POINTS ELSEWHERE. The poems in this 94 page volume are arranged roughly around the cities in which the action in the poems takes place. For my money, Locklin always seemed to be at his best when writing about either great art or great jazz (he’s a knowledgeable connoisseur of both) and the central section of this book is titled CHICAGO AND THE ART INSTITUTE. In it, he writes some pretty slick stuff about his visits to the Institute. I’ll quote one of my favorites in its entirety:
monet was one prolific motherfucker
all those haystacks,
all those lilies,
all those seascapes,
all those twilights on the thames…
as opposed to poor seurat,
known for one painting
(and a musical)
and caillebotte,
mainly for two,
(so far no musical).
but if you’re only going to be known
for a couple of great works,
you might as well make them
big ones.
and hope they end up centerpieces –
logos –
of a great collection.
Such a relaxed style. The man doesn’t even bother with capitals. It’s like he’s just talking to you…one on one…conversationally…friend to friend. Work like this - in fact, Locklin’s entire career as a writer - has contributed greatly to the humanization and demystification of modern poetry.
Aw, heck, I can’t resist quoting another poem from the book:
as time goes by
i speak to strangers
all the time now,
out of the blue,
impetuously,
hesitating only momentarily,
unable to stop myself,
on planes,
at the ymca pool,
in bookstores,
crossing campus.
i ask about the food they’re eating,
the wine or beer they’ve selected,
their destination, the weather,
the book they’re reading,
life in general.
to the woman who is on the flight
back from grading
advanced placement essays
in Daytona beach,
i say, of the power and the glory,
“that’s a great book.”
“unh-hunh,” she says,
and goes back to her reading.
well, how was i supposed to compete
with a great book like that?
No big deal here…no attempts to write the Great American Poem. This is just Locklin going through his day, showing us what life is all about. He’s been doing it for 40 years.
If you’ve never read a book of poems by Gerald Locklin…NEW ORLEANS, CHICAGO, AND POINTS ELSEWHERE is as good a place as any to start.
John Yamrus
December 31, 2006
Copies of this book are available from R)v Press for $11.95 plus $2 for shipping and handling.
R)v Press, 11771 Tunstall Street, Garden Grove, California 92845 USA
Their website is: www.rvpress.net/purchase.html
Chicago, New Orleans And Points Elsewhere, by Gerald Locklin. 94 pages
ISBN: 0-9787983-0-9
