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Chance Would Be a Fine Thing
"chance would be a fine thing" is collection of poems and song lyrics by Irish singer and songwriter Anthony McCann. From tales of supernatural shenanigans and agoraphobic killers, to songs and poems about love and national and spiritual identity, this collection spans a deep well of reflection and insight into both the absurd and the vital.
- GenresPoetry
66 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 15, 2012
5 people want to read
About the author
Anthony McCann
21 books20 followersAnthony McCann was born and raised in the Hudson Valley. He is the author of four collections of poetry including Thing Music (Wave Books, 2014). His book Shadowlands: Fear and Freedom at the Oregon Standoff (Bloomsbury, 2019) is a nonfiction prose work investigating the 2016 armed right-wing occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Anthony’s teaching, writing and research interests include 19th, 20th and 21st century North American Poetry; Political Theology; Political Ecology; Native American History; History of the Revolutionary, Constitutional and Reconstruction eras; Ecological History of the American West; Cultural Anthropology; Modern Latin American Poetry; and Anarchist thought and practice as it pertains to art-making, politics and other spheres of human endeavor. He lives in the Mojave Desert.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 8, 2012
Chance is certainly a fine thing and it was chance that brought me this fine thing and made me so happy.
Chance would be a Fine Thing is a pretty little gem. I am a poet and I am an avid reader of poetry books too by other writers because it is my own way of learning the craft of others and exploring how others do their poems.
What I like about this book is that the range of styles that the poet had done and tried in the book are plenty, from free style to rhymed verse, to structured lines following various rules and formats. But most of all, they same the common denominator of eloquence and beauty that only a real poet can effectively manifest in the lines he creates and the words that he chooses to express the pathos, the pain, the angst, the joy and the love stemming from his soul and being forwarded to the whole universe.
Some of the poems actually do sound like song lyrics. Maybe they can become like that too with suitable music. But more than that, it is the messages of these poems which touched my heart so much. Simple words and yet the profound effect it had to me left me smiling.
My favorite poem is definitely the title poem, "Chance would be a fine thing" and there are a lot of beautiful poems here you will truly enjoy beyond any doubt.
Chance would be a Fine Thing is a pretty little gem. I am a poet and I am an avid reader of poetry books too by other writers because it is my own way of learning the craft of others and exploring how others do their poems.
What I like about this book is that the range of styles that the poet had done and tried in the book are plenty, from free style to rhymed verse, to structured lines following various rules and formats. But most of all, they same the common denominator of eloquence and beauty that only a real poet can effectively manifest in the lines he creates and the words that he chooses to express the pathos, the pain, the angst, the joy and the love stemming from his soul and being forwarded to the whole universe.
Some of the poems actually do sound like song lyrics. Maybe they can become like that too with suitable music. But more than that, it is the messages of these poems which touched my heart so much. Simple words and yet the profound effect it had to me left me smiling.
My favorite poem is definitely the title poem, "Chance would be a fine thing" and there are a lot of beautiful poems here you will truly enjoy beyond any doubt.
May 6, 2012
A Delightful Read..
This week I had the pleasure of reading “Chance Would Be a Fine Thing”, author Anthony McCann. There are twenty-four writings which include rhyming poetry, prose, and a rap. It is a delightful book for all ages. I am anxious to read some of the book to my granddaughter.
The author strikes the right balance of rhyme, curiosity, and whimsy with ‘Some Clocks Tock Upon The Wall’. Then in other entries there are Frankenstein’s Monster, a search for Sasquatch, and a rap for Poltergeists.
There are some very tender poems which I found heart-touching, such as,’Song For A Child’, ‘Stand Beside the One You love’, and ‘Chance Would Be A Fine Thing’.
Some are serious, ‘Once Alien Here’, ‘Cleaning Windows’ and ‘The Lament for Chicken Little’ I found very thought provoking.
I enjoyed the inspirational reverie of ‘Apologia Pro Vita Sua’ and ‘At the Foot of the Cross’.
AND, You must read, ‘Emailing Rachel’ ... I loved it!
May 8, 2012
Anthony McCann's "chance would be a fine thing" is a small collection of poetry and song lyrics that I found entertaining, inspiring, and downright humorous. (Anthony McCann is an Irish singer and songwriter.) This collection is unlike any I have read previously. I love his wittiness and humor as well as the spiritual and paranormal twist.
Seeing any symbolisms and interpretation is a lot like taste, it depended on the individual but I really loved the first poem, "Some clocks tock upon the wall". The poem is about a clock that tocks and not ticks. The child thinks it is "strange" and the clock is doing it on purpose as it maybe "dysfunctional" but his/her mother says it is not for him/her to judge. My favorite part, "Does it think that Time moves forward? Does it think that Time moves back? Is it static or elliptical? Is it fiction or is it fact?" The child goes from thinking the clock is wrong to examining what time is and what the clock is. In different circumstances maybe the clock would be different. I know I will be sharing this poem with my grandchildren and among other things we will discuss the 'judging'.
It seems that the author is giving a lesson or sharing good advice in the songs and poems. Others typical of this are "Emailing Rachel" and "Cleaning Windows". I really don't want to be a spoiler so I won't say much about these other than it is very good advise and let's learn from someone else's mistake so we don't make the same ones ourselves.
The only thing I can say negative about this book is that it is much too short. It just begs you to read more but alas it is over! I think its a great book to give the child in your life or for teachers to read in class and discuss. Maybe what I see as being negative is really something positive (remembering the look on my son's face the day he read his "whole book") plus I'm sure in class children can finish and discuss it within the school year. So, I guess it is really how you look at it. (Remember, some clocks tock. Lesson learned!)
Seeing any symbolisms and interpretation is a lot like taste, it depended on the individual but I really loved the first poem, "Some clocks tock upon the wall". The poem is about a clock that tocks and not ticks. The child thinks it is "strange" and the clock is doing it on purpose as it maybe "dysfunctional" but his/her mother says it is not for him/her to judge. My favorite part, "Does it think that Time moves forward? Does it think that Time moves back? Is it static or elliptical? Is it fiction or is it fact?" The child goes from thinking the clock is wrong to examining what time is and what the clock is. In different circumstances maybe the clock would be different. I know I will be sharing this poem with my grandchildren and among other things we will discuss the 'judging'.
It seems that the author is giving a lesson or sharing good advice in the songs and poems. Others typical of this are "Emailing Rachel" and "Cleaning Windows". I really don't want to be a spoiler so I won't say much about these other than it is very good advise and let's learn from someone else's mistake so we don't make the same ones ourselves.
The only thing I can say negative about this book is that it is much too short. It just begs you to read more but alas it is over! I think its a great book to give the child in your life or for teachers to read in class and discuss. Maybe what I see as being negative is really something positive (remembering the look on my son's face the day he read his "whole book") plus I'm sure in class children can finish and discuss it within the school year. So, I guess it is really how you look at it. (Remember, some clocks tock. Lesson learned!)
January 6, 2013
“Chance would be a fine thing“ is a collection of Poems and Songs written by “Anthony McCann”. Anthony is a songwriter (as well as a writer) He is the founder director of a company, which is dedicated to education, healthcare and the arts. “Chance would be a fine thing“ is Anthony’s first collection of his poems.
The variety of styles used by Anthony in his collection “Chance would be a fine thing” is commendable. In all there are 23 poems and songs; and these poems are on the topics ranging from Love to Politics and from Humor to Solitude… Some of the poems that I liked( or ‘loved’, as you may) were:
Some clocks tick upon the wall,
Chance would be a fine thing,
Untitled,
Stand beside the one you love,
Wanting,
Cleaning windows,
Long enough on the island,
The poltergeist rap!,
Side to side.
Critically speaking the Poems and Songs written in the book are very well constructed, and it has some of the best verses I have ever read. The poem will make you smile but the message will (if not make your eyes moist) surely make you think (about lot of things; better not go in details :). But as they say with every good thing comes opposite... some of the poems were simply not for me. This maybe because of appreciation of art is very subjective factor and the ones I didn't liked might end up being your favorite ones.
And so on concluding notes, “Chance would be a fine thing” by Anthony McCann is a very nice (and very tiny) book, which says much more than words it has. Take the example of Untitled, shortest verse but full of meaning. Well I’ll give this book 4 of 5. Enjoy.
The variety of styles used by Anthony in his collection “Chance would be a fine thing” is commendable. In all there are 23 poems and songs; and these poems are on the topics ranging from Love to Politics and from Humor to Solitude… Some of the poems that I liked( or ‘loved’, as you may) were:
Some clocks tick upon the wall,
Chance would be a fine thing,
Untitled,
Stand beside the one you love,
Wanting,
Cleaning windows,
Long enough on the island,
The poltergeist rap!,
Side to side.
Critically speaking the Poems and Songs written in the book are very well constructed, and it has some of the best verses I have ever read. The poem will make you smile but the message will (if not make your eyes moist) surely make you think (about lot of things; better not go in details :). But as they say with every good thing comes opposite... some of the poems were simply not for me. This maybe because of appreciation of art is very subjective factor and the ones I didn't liked might end up being your favorite ones.
And so on concluding notes, “Chance would be a fine thing” by Anthony McCann is a very nice (and very tiny) book, which says much more than words it has. Take the example of Untitled, shortest verse but full of meaning. Well I’ll give this book 4 of 5. Enjoy.
June 19, 2012
I love poetry so I was thrilled to be offered the chance to review this book of poetry. The fact that the blurb used the words "funny" and "nerdy" just made it even better! My favorite was a poem entitled "Untitled". 14 words long but full of meaning, as well as humor. Another poem, "Wanting", really struck home for me, too. I truly loved this book, everything about it. There was "tongue-in-cheek" humor, along with themes that made you think. "Song for a Child" was both beautiful and bittersweet at various times throughout it and, when set against the frame of some of the other poems in this book, showed a far more serious side to the author's writing. I loved, loved, LOVED this volume!
May 2, 2012
This is a very quick read of poetry. My favourites were Some Clocks Tock Upon the Wall and Emailing Rachel. Some of the poems are comical while others deal with faith, relationships, and yes even a killer! I like the descriptive language used and the various topics the poetry covered. Many of the poems are entertaining and some of them have a more profound meaning upon reflection. While reading some of the thoughts/emotions I found I could surprisingly relate to them. I found myself smiling many times. This would be a great read for anyone who enjoys poetry. It would be good for bed time reading or a quick read on a rainy day.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews