The Blue Devil

Lean but brawny, nostalgic but edgy, the Blue Devil poems recall boyhood, fatherhood, and contemporary manhood—with tones of regret, dark humor, and poignant beauty. This compact collection is an unusual odyssey through situations and scenes—an inward psychedelic trip, mischief-making inside a Fortune 500 company, meditative hikes through fields and hills, snorkeling in the Caribbean, a surreal visit to the zoo, musing at a Picasso, and a living room turned sanctuary by a son playing piano. Each poem reflects the point of view of a man who has lived a hefty slice of adult life: marriage, fatherhood, divorce, adventure, love, and regret. He is painfully aware of the mistakes he has made. Meted out in rhythmic and resonating text—true to the poet's multi-disciplinary background—the poems contain echoes of mathematics and drum beats. Brutally honest and sometimes devilish, the speaker aims to connect with other men who have weathered storms, discovered that life is not always fair, but nevertheless offers unexpected treasures. If you normally don't read contemporary poetry because it just doesn't make sense—and you are of the opinion that this has to do with the poems, not you, what the Blue Devil offers might be for you. Though compressed and calculated, these poems contain no trickery and don't require an English degree to decode. The poems "are what they are"—literal when literal, strange when strange. If you have lived a stretch of human life and are ready to experience some loss and joy—through the lens of poetry—invite the Blue Devil onto your bookshelf.