Captivated

by Michael Cervas

In Captivated Michael Cervas pulls out all the stops. As in his earlier book, we are given splendid poems in which history, science, foreign culture, and sport are metaphors for essential truth, but now there is an even greater admixture of hilarity and irony, increased emotional depth, and a series of love poems to die for, though beneath it all a current of melancholy runs deep. Captivated begins with poems of childhood, an Edenic condition in which the serpent is never far off but sometimes forgotten. Throughout the book, jubilation and anxiety do battle and both win. Emotions are never half-hearted in these poems, be they the terrible sadness of losing a much-loved father or the ecstasy, danger, and yes, hilarity of all-out love. One of the greatest strengths of Captivated is the way it plays variations on its title, which cuts in opposite directions, pointing toward both captivity and sheer delight. Prepare yourself for a journey into both realms. You will not be the same when you return.

80 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2011