Family Reunion: Selected & New Poems

by Paul Zimmer

This is a book that grows in power as it is being read. . . . [Zimmer] deserves greater attention than he has yet received; let us hope that this volume will bring it to him."--Poetry

Genres: Poetry

85 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1993

Reviews

[Jimmy · Rating 4 out of 5]

About the middle of this book, there is a sudden shift from an excellent beginning, but I got in the swing of it again and ended really liking it. Two examples:

"Zimmer's Head Thudding Against the Blackboard"

At the blackboard I had missed
Five number problems in a row,
And was about to foul a sixth,
When the old, exasperated nun
Began to pound my head against
My six mistakes. When I cried,
She threw me back into my seat,
Where I hid my head and swore
That very day I'd be a poet,
And curse her yellow teeth with this.

"Confession, Curse and Prayer"

I confess all creatures I have killed:
Flies, mosquitoes, roaches, ants in number;
Sowbugs, moths, grasshoppers, and bees;
Also beetles, snails, spiders to less degree;
Then two snakes, a quail, four frogs,
One baby robin and a rabbit stoned
In a seizure of youthful cruelty;
Two mangled woodchucks and a dying cat in mercy;
Many fish, some crabs, once a chicken,
Toads, worms and a butterfly or two.
Thus I am steeped in death like any man.

I recall so many of their resignations:
The first shock and brief fluttering,
The eyes turning slowly into themselves,
Or the small shell suddenly crushed
While the limbs still twitch and clutch
At the final glimmers of perception,
At the irretrievable thing that is gone;
And I am guilty of these destructions.

God damn the man who calls this sentimentality!
Who could not think of these things
Without praying for a quiet mind?
Let nothing cruel stir in my blood again.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Zimmer is truly great. He is every man; the Zimmer. There were many more highs in this book than lows; but the lows brought this down to 4 stars. Definitely worth reading over and over again.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

In som emoments, I SO wanted to give this book 5 stars, but some dull spots (especially in the third section of the book) just kept me off of that, so think of this review more as 4.75 stars (which probably means that I should have rounded up, but whatever). Zimmer's poetry puts such a palpable spin on the emotions instilled in here - lust, regret, painful reminisence, etc. There is a solid, humanistic humor here that quirky poems like Jaes Tate's try to achieve but don't seem to touch on quite as often. Some poems are just plain fun, like "Rollo's Miracle," but still seem to address human absurdity as opposed to logical absurdity. Overall, a devastatingly good clutch of poems here.

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you read Zimmer's poems, you get a sense that his talent comes quite naturally. I got a sense of "Zimmer" and found that each chapter reflected chapters of his own life and his many personalities. The second section I did find difficult to read, because it was all about Wanda, and I don't know about you, but I started to get irritated with this Wanda.

The first and third chapters are filled with moments of genius, many that give you a lasting impression of simultaneous glee, sadness, and bewilderment. This is not my favorite book of poetry, but it is definitely a classic that I would expect to read more times in the future.