Poetry Readers Challenge discussion

Another Rattle chapbook prize winner, another 5-star review, yet each collection has a distinct personality. I adore quiet, slice-of-life poetry. That’s what this would be if Hunley had a quiet life. As his blurb says, he and his wife have “raised four children, two of whom provided the material for this book.” This is intense reading and will make most readers want to nominate Hunley for awards in good parenting or courage. His poems alternate between the two children with needs, but very different needs aside from love, patience, and understanding. He adopted the girl at age 16 and a half, after she’d endured a heroin-addict mom and abuse by her mom’s partners. Tender, caring love is new to her, so she mistakes sex for “he cares about me.” His son is autistic, easily startled and frustrated by life around him, which can make him explode with anger and profanity. Strangers yell at his son and at him for not teaching his son better manners.

For many of us, this is captivating poetry. For those with children of special needs, it may provide helpful insights or at least the pleasure of hearing from someone who gets what they’re going through.

There’s tenderness under all the worry, even wry humor as in this poem’s title: “Buddy the Elf Is Acting like an Autistic Person, My Son Says with a Laugh." This book was so intense, that I broke it into 3 reads, while I often fly straight through a good chapbook. “To Mellow His Meltdown” was one of the poems that made me set the book down for awhile to recover:

“…his mom and I worry

about what happens next year
when he gets his driver’s license
if his tail light goes out and the blue cop-light
swirls in his eyes and the siren rings
in his ears and the officer says, Put your hands up,
and our son reaches for his ID in his Batman wallet,
swaying, cursing at the officer who doesn’t know…”

Wow, it does sound intense. Thank you for the excerpt and information on this book. I've read some of Hunley's poems but didn't know much about him.

Here's a sample poem from the book that Rattle just posted online.

https://www.rattle.com/i-never-pushed...

another book added to my list

Nina, I think it's worth the subscription cost of Rattle to get three of these books for free each year, although they only cost $6 each.

My Rattle subscription has always been money well spent. They do so much.

Yes, they do.

I agree