Zombie poetry?

I am not really a big reader of poetry.

I told this to Eric Morlin, aka "The Moebius Kid", when he asked me to read and review his book of poetry, ARE THERE ZOMBIES IN HEAVEN. I told him I don't feel very qualified to write a review of a book of poetry.

I also told him that I was intrigued by the idea of zombies and poetry. That could be interesting. When I told him this, he did warn me that most of the poems are not about zombies. "Most"? Then there are some poems about zombies? This book was worth a peek.

       

He was right, most of the poems are not about zombies. Moebius writes about all sorts of things...relationships, non-relationships, drugs, love, politics, religion, and yes, zombies. Described as a "street poet" (he used to make little books of his poetry and sell them on the street, though I think the phrase really describes his often gritty and unflinching poetry, not that he hawked his poems on street corners), he attacks issues as well as himself, exploring and revealing his own feelings and foibles. This isn't your grandmother's poetry, he uses words and images some would find offensive and describes feelings and actions not always socially acceptable.

Not only does he tackle a wide range of topics, the book is medley of different styles of poetry as well. Some of them rhyme (probably my least favorite of the poems), some are just a few lines, providing an image or two to illuminate his idea. Some are several pages of dense, almost stream of consciousness writing.

Jumping from style to style as well as subject to subject, each poem was an adventure.

One page had a poem, "Seasonal Exile", where he used achingly stunning images of himself as a tree. And on the facing page was the first zombie poem. I liked that the styles and subjects were all mixed together.

In ARE THERE ZOMBIES IN HEAVEN, I found what I look for when I read poetry, and that is a new way to see things. Words delivering images that reveal and express, allowing me insight into the author's experiences, as well as my own.

He describes a "subtle thrill we get when someone dances with our words".
The Moebius Kid should get his thrill, as readers will be dancing with his words*.

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