Ramblings of a One-Eyed Garbage Man

by Jim Hart

An elderly woman polishes her family dining table each day with painstaking care. A man receives a long lost letter from an uncle killed in the line of duty. A young child creates his own imaginative dialogue to 1950s television shows. Ramblings of a One-Eyed Garbage Man is Jim Hart’s collection of poetry that spans literary styles to capture an urban experience with profound social concern, sardonic wit, and a humorous perspective on the world that is certain to resonate with readers and thinkers everywhere. Processing the world around him in an original yet uncomplicated way, Hart crafts poems that are at once pure, sweet, and raw, availing of multiple forms of verse to forge unique concepts for the everyman. Born and raised in the 1950s in Brooklyn, New York, Hart explores topics that draw from a certain time and place in the urban American experience. The title of the collection is a nod to the poet’s own chosen profession as an employee of the New York City Sanitation Department. From the fallout of romantic love to the aftermath of war, these deeply personal, intimate takes on life, death, and much that lies in between are both achingly sad and playfully ironic. In some, such as “Leaps Of Faith” and “A Questionable Youth,” the poet shares snapshots of a Brooklyn childhood; in others, like “Greenwich Village – 1967” and “Acid Trip,” he recalls the confusing urban landscape of 1960s New York. Mining both treasured childhood times and the darker aspects of humanity, the collection converges as a stirring journey of heartbreak, family love, childhood, and coming of age. By casting a searching eye on the depths and heights of humanity, each work in Ramblings of a One-Eyed Garbage Man processes the past decades with fine perception, moral clarity, and palpable heart. Readers who value well-chosen words that are rich with life will treasure this graceful, enlightening collection.

118 pages, Paperback

First published January 18, 2013

Reviews

[Jeffrey Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best thing that can be said about Jim Hart’s collection of poetry and short fiction is that it’s brilliant. With a title like Ramblings of a One Eyed Garbage Man you can be most assured that a few eyebrows are going to be raised. To be sure, the title reminded me of the Sherwood Anderson short story, “Grotesque” in his seminal collection, Winesburg, Ohio. While there is an element of the “grotesque” in these poems and short fiction, there’s a whole lot more.

What Hart has given us is a window to his past, his childhood growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s, which was an exciting time to be growing up in the midst of the Cold War, rock and roll and the Eisenhower presidency. You’ll enjoy these snapshots and glimpses of life which reveal much more after you have read them a few times. And it’s not because you might have missed something, but it’s in the richness of language that Hart uses and the images he conjures up for us. In “Dead Letter Drop,” a long overdue letter is finally delivered and although it’s ironic that the postage due still needs to be collected, it’s the contents of the letter which shocks us because we already know what has happened to the writer of the letter. This poem is brilliant.

Hart does this a lot in this collection—shocks us and reminds us continually of the fragility of our world. And sometimes he has fun. In “Leaps of Faith” he writes about the “duck and cover” drills which were supposed to protect school children from an atomic blast and other mundane routines that school kids moaned about having to do, but when poor school kid wets his pants, that is something worth noting: everything else seems to pale in comparison.

There are many more moments of brilliance in this collection that you will savor. I highly recommend this collection and this glimpse of life in the 50s and 60s. You most definitely will find yourself reading and re-reading this collection many times.

[John Budish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hart renders his poetic talent in this "Hart" felt book.

Jim Hart continues to demonstrate his mastery of the English language not only in a "noir" 40's detective novel but as an insightful poet. He shares his life from the loss of a love to his bigger and older brother John's setting him up to be "reprimanded" by his "Irish" father, and his mother's sorrow at receiving a telegram from the War Department notifying her of the lost of her oldest son, his brother John. These and a hold lot more of life experiences are related in these heart or should I say Hart felt, poems. Beautifully written and easy to read. Poems for those who think they don't like poems. I highly recommend this book.

[Pamela Allegretto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jim Hart writes not merely with keen sensitivity, but also with economical use of language where every word is loaded. His unique, eclectic style draws smiles and sometimes a tear. I look forward to reading more of Jim Hart’s work.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great selection of poems -- many are gritty, some are funny, some are poignant, but they all ring true. Highly recommended for lovers of modern poetry!