Nothing
by Clyde Bookes
"Nothing" is a poetry
collection, 50 pages in length. The form is an unrhymed but heavily
rhythmic free verse. The body of the work utilizes two voices which
are differentiated by boldness
of type. These voices, like conflicting thoughts in the readers'
mind, discuss life, identity, love, truth and death throughout their brief
existence.
The voices consist
of an optimistic, youthful voice and a cynical, weary, elder voice.
The manuscript begins with the youthful voice postulating that worldly
ambition is the manifestation of inward hopes of self-actualization.
The poem is, in a sense, a palindrome. While the actual spelling
of the words is not reversed, the word order itself is reversed.
The poem is repeated in his reverse-word order and repeats its sentiment.
The voice in bold
type responds that life is not a palindrome. Life is not a uniform
learning curve which can be symmetrically reversed with negligible effect.
Life is an erratic series of experiences. One approaches each in
impromptu ignorance.
The dialogue continues
in this manner until it culminates on the final page when each voice states
its own last poem, as if in summation. The poems begin at the far
left and far right sides of the page and they combine at the center of
the page. They form a third poem when the two separate poems are
read together. The theme of all three poems is that the concepts
of past and future; hopes and memories; lies and truth are essentially
and consequentially the same. What brings one to the present is of
little import. What is important, these poems tell us, is the action
and emotions of the present.
We feel this manuscript
has potentially wide appeal due to the many topics discussed and to the
conversational tone and familiarity of each topic displayed throughout
the work. Most fervently, however, we would recommend this work to
college students and the youthful intelligentsia. Those prone
to contemplation, yet unhindered by the close-minded cynicism which often
accompanies
experience are likely to enjoy this manuscript most.
Statistical Summary
Pages:
50
Poetry:
48
Misc.: [titles, dedication, etc.]: 2
Words:
3515
Average length:
3.6 letters
Syllables per word:
2.1
No illustrations
Sentences:
342
Average length:
9.2 words
Paragraphs [Stanzas]:
120
Average length:
2.1 sentences
File size:
154KB
Number of characters:
41403
Return
to the Clyde Bookes Page
The song playing is
"Minuet in A Minor" by Henry Purcell. It was sequenced by David Cooke
and can be found at Dave
Cooke's corner of the Public Domain.
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