The Book of Matthew

by Matthew Welton

Resounding in this collection is the distinctive voice of Bluesman poet Matthew Welton, the heir apparent to Brautigan via Dylan, who makes tunes out of words. These poems give delight by means of the shape of the lines on the page, the feel of the words on the tongue, and the subtle noises they plant in the ear. With nods to Bob Dylan, country and western music, and the spirit of Brautigan, his work chronicles sex at the seaside and the murmur of urban blues. The book’s title poem spins 39 variations on sounds, images, and rhythms, creating a dazzling kaleidoscope of effects. His poem “Dozen,” included in the book, appears in this year’s Forward Anthology.

Genres: Poetry

79 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

Reviews

[Cameron Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

👍

[Ben Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

My copy has two poems repeated which I assume is a mistake but it is hard to know for sure. Welton is a subtle and effective poet whose poems are well worth giving a try. Every part of each poem is framed and phrased so precisely and I find each time I reread one of the poems the pleasure it gives me increases.

However there are collections where i read one poem, love it and straight away I want to read more by the poet and that never happened. The pleasure in these poems needed for me at least to be gleaned or revealed by close reading and I prefer simpler pleasures.

I also didnt connect with the "Book of Matthew" section which takes up just over half the book. It is a series or suit of interrelated/ interconnected poems in which is the literary equivalent of a tune being played repeatedly but in different musical styles. The structure of the poem was repeated about 40 times with much repetition of different phrases like "the wind around the orange tree brings on a smell ....." and the smell would be different in each version. Perhaps if I had more mental energy, or could hold and fuse the different variations in my head at the same time or perhaps I am judging it after too scant a consideration but it didnt really work for me and didnt leave me with the determination to try again.

Still for what worked for me there is much in this volume I will revisit frequently and that is more than enough for me to , cautiously recommend it.