Port Light

by William Allegrezza

Port A Hay(na)ku Collection brings together hay(na)kus that have been written over a number of years. The pieces vary greatly in terms of content from the personal lyric to poems that push at language’s communicative limits. The occasions of the poems are also diverse. “Through Having Been” was written as a reaction to storm devastation in Haiti, but many of the poems are daily poems responding to family or friends. William Allegrezza has written in the hay(na)ku format for almost ten years, but Port Light is his first book to collect and attempt to show a similarity between the pieces.

58 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

William Allegrezza edits the press Moria Books, Moss Trill, and teaches at Indiana University Northwest. He has published many poetry books, poetry reviews, articles, translations, short stories, and poems. He founded and curated series A, a reading series in Chicago, from 2006-2010. More information about him can be found at https://www.allegrezza.info.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A hay(na)ku is a very simple poetic form, and it’s also one of the newest. It was apparently created in 2003 by poet Eileen Tabios.

Hay(na)ku is a 3-line poem with one word in the first line, two words in the second, and three in the third. There are no restrictions beyond this.

This book is a small collection of hay(na)kus written by William Allegrezza. It is 58 pages in length.

Example from the book:
(I giggled at this one)

afterwards

i
imagined you
as irreplaceable until

i
wanted to
have you replaced.

My thoughts:

I had no clue what a hay(na)ku was before reading this collection of poetry. Even though poetry is not normally an interest of mine, I found this book enjoyable and fun. After finishing this my children and I had a great time coming up with our own hay(na)kus. My girls are now in competition to see who can do better, and the form is simple enough that myseven year old boy to join in on the fun without getting frustrated. Honestly he has come oup with the best one so far.

I originally struggled with writing a review for this. I find poetry difficult to rate, and am always nervous about recommending it to anyone. people never form the same opinions when it comes to something as creative as this. So I decided to review it on how much fun this book lead my family to have.

My son's cute hay(na)ku:

I
am so
tired of girls.

They
too much
sticky, stinky hairspray

It
gets in
My mouth, yuck!

(LOL)

It is funny because I can tell he is counting words every time he talks. He tries to make every phrase fit these guidelines.

Thank
you for
reading my review.

Thank you to the author for allowing me the opportunity to recieve this book in a Goodreads giveaway. It has lead to much needed family fun and bonding.

Link to buy the book: http://www.lulu.com/shop/william-alle...

[Yuri Solenois · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Port Light" by William Allegrezza is a fascinating and thought-provoking collection of poetry that explores the themes of memory, identity, and place. The poems are characterized by their vivid imagery and their use of repetition and variation, and Allegrezza's writing is both elegant and challenging.

One of the most impressive features of "Port Light" is Allegrezza's ability to use language to evoke a sense of place and memory. The poems are highly descriptive and richly detailed, and Allegrezza's use of metaphor and imagery is highly effective in creating a sense of atmosphere and mood. The poems also explore the relationship between memory and identity, and the ways in which our sense of self is shaped by the places we inhabit and the experiences we have.

"Port Light" is a remarkable collection of poetry that is both intellectually stimulating and emotionally resonant. Allegrezza's writing is both challenging and accessible, and his use of language is highly effective in creating a sense of depth and complexity.

[Zack]

loved it. really different from his other work i'd read, which i'd also loved.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full disclosure: Read via GoodReads' FirstReads

A nice collection of haikus that revolve around the authors life and thoughts.