Part of the Darkness by David J Rothman

by David J. Rothman

Poetry. "What impresses one first about David J. Rothman is his immense imaginative and intellectual range, but the more one reads his striking and exuberant poetry the more deeply one feels its emotional force and quiet but genuine ferocity. He is an Apollonian touched by the divine madness of Dionysus. Diverse, demanding, and delightful, his poems abundantly reward the reader's attention."—Dana Gioia"You've never read a book like this one, crackling with comedy and drama, colloquial, breezy and bitingly Byronic. Here we find characters including God, a Demon, a Muse, and a hero, an ordinary modern man. We have a vital panoply of good and evil served up by a poet of cultivated earthiness, 'mud mixed with wonder.' Even in the face of suffering, David Rothman dares us to 'live large. Go big. Get tough.' Here is an abundance and energy rarely seen in contemporary poetry."—David Mason

Hardcover

First published February 15, 2013

Reviews

[Daniel Klawitter · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the poems in this stellar collection made me cry...at work. Most of them though made me smile and I was also frequently and pleasantly dazzled by the wit and flawless construction of the poems. David J. Rothman is one of the best. He should be better known. Buy this book as soon as you can. It's amazing.


Elegy for a Breast

Darling, no doubt you loved it more than I.
After all, it was a part of you.
Yet when the doctors told you you might die,
You cried but said "OK," and they cut through.
And I am glad they did, for here you sit,
Smiling and alive, your glass half full,
Your laugh the same, that sweet sarcastic wit
Still sparkling like a star. I feel its pull.
And I remember how you laughed then said,
Pointing your finger, "Rothman...just...this...once."
Then took your blouse off, kneeling on my bed,
And let me kiss you, every inch and ounce.
It was...you were...well, I can't even start.
Your eyes. Your lips. My hand so near your heart.