Diptych: Voyage to Ernie Spirit, Swell a Large Lament and Other Fictions

by David L. Swartz

“DIPTYCH,” Swartz’s 13th volume with iUniverse, pairs 4 hilarious prose poems with a darker “formal” half and the latter’s accompanying shorter lyrics. “Voyage to Ernie,” the 1st prose poem, and 1st half’s title work, is the fictive memoir of a young Rutgers dropout by way of employment in the “Cosmo Emporium.” “Ranger’s Melt,” the 2nd, traces the adventures of Marion C. Folltette toward eventual impregnation and Virgin Motherhood. “Threnody,” the 3rd, follows Desmond and Mary Phillips on a whirlwind tour of Europe and a sumptuous snack of "Martel Glazed Doughnuts" safely, albeit sadly, Stateside. “Farley’s Last Stand,” the 4th, charts the misadventures of an old pothead at the onset of the year 2000, humor en extremis. The 2nd, and darker portion, of this volume devotes most of its space to lamentations for the poet’s estranged daughter, for his deceased parents, and for a enigmatic hell-raiser of a perplexing but beloved cat, a very human quadruped. There are also “Minor Poems,” a selection of verse from the poet’s earliest writings. “DIPTYCH” is a two-part immersion in a poet’s deep but highly irregular gift, a gut-wrenching wit, a redemptive sadness.

396 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2008