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{ "item_title" : "Raylene and Skip", "item_author" : [" Kenneth Pobo "], "item_description" : "These poems build an affecting picture of working-class life in small-town America. Raylene and Skip live (and often feel stuck) in a town called Micah. Their lives have eroded over decades of marriage, but they have a bit of fight left in them. In poems that make clever use of direct and reported speech, we learn their secrets, flaws, and grudges. Pobo is a master of ironic twists and turns. In memorable metaphorical language, we get surprising glimpses into people's souls. Fathers are men like cordoned-off hallways. After a violent argument over something trivial, Skip becomes a saw / sawing the same wood block over and over, and Raylene is an ice cube / melting at the bottom of an iced-tea glass. Frequently and with ease, Pobo sees into the depths of America's scam culture. Characterizing Raylene's knowledge of Skip's extramarital affairs, Pobo writes, The plumbing / needs fixing--no one's trustworthy. / Someone will cheat you / the way you cheat others. Robert Cooperman's assessment of an earlier Pobo volume applies here as well: This is a marvelous collection, one to savor with lines that are beautiful and true and just terrific poetry.", "item_img_path" : "https://covers2.booksamillion.com/covers/bam/1/95/006/620/1950066207_b.jpg", "price_data" : { "retail_price" : "15.00", "online_price" : "15.00", "our_price" : "15.00", "club_price" : "15.00", "savings_pct" : "0", "savings_amt" : "0.00", "club_savings_pct" : "0", "club_savings_amt" : "0.00", "discount_pct" : "10", "store_price" : "" } }
Raylene and Skip|Kenneth Pobo

Raylene and Skip : Poems

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Overview

These poems build an affecting picture of working-class life in small-town America. Raylene and Skip live (and often feel stuck) in a town called Micah. Their lives have eroded over decades of marriage, but they have a bit of fight left in them. In poems that make clever use of direct and reported speech, we learn their secrets, flaws, and grudges. Pobo is a master of ironic twists and turns. In memorable metaphorical language, we get surprising glimpses into people's souls. Fathers are "men like cordoned-off hallways." After a violent argument over something trivial, "Skip becomes a saw / sawing the same wood block over and over," and Raylene is "an ice cube / melting at the bottom of an iced-tea glass." Frequently and with ease, Pobo sees into the depths of America's scam culture. Characterizing Raylene's knowledge of Skip's extramarital affairs, Pobo writes, "The plumbing / needs fixing--no one's trustworthy. / Someone will cheat you / the way you cheat others." Robert Cooperman's assessment of an earlier Pobo volume applies here as well: "This is a marvelous collection, one to savor with lines that are beautiful and true and just terrific poetry."

Details

  • ISBN-13: 9781950066209
  • ISBN-10: 1950066207
  • Publisher: Wolfson Press
  • Publish Date: December 2025
  • Shipping Weight: 0.22 pounds
  • Page Count: 54

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