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On Days Like This: Poems
Book by Quisenberry, Dan
90 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1998
21 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 5, 2019
Since this is a book published by a professional baseball player rather than a professional poet, I had low expectations. Admitting that expectations almost always inform final impressions to some extent, at times I did think some of the content is cliched, but more often I found myself surprised by the poignancy with which Quisenberry relays scenes with strong imagery and emotions with insightful wording.
Since few baseball players have published works of poetry, the particular situations and contextualized emotions Quisenberry writes about in many of these poems stand as unique, and I appreciated his ability to communicate the feeling of being a pitcher at baseball’s most competitive level. In particular, the blend of self-confidence and self-doubt inherent in holding such a job come through strongly in many of these poems, but these qualities are equally present in his poems about being a father, a husband, and a human being like the rest of us.
Further comment on some of the cliched content: I don’t think Quisenberry uses a capital letter at any point, a la e.e. cummings. I’ve never known why e.e. cummings chose this strategy, but as an established poet, he surely could have explained his reasoning. I’m less convinced that the Quiz had a particular purpose for this device, but I could be wrong. Additionally, many of the line breaks seemed predictable, as in natural divisions between phrases. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, but professional poets often use line breaks to surprise readers in some way, and I don’t think Quisenberry was utilizing them in this way consistently. Communicating common sentiments in an original way is a challenge for every poet, and while Quisenberry manages to accomplish this more often than I expected, this is one of the ways in which I have perhaps unfairly judged him, as there are numerous sentiments that have a sort of deja vu quality to them, as if I’ve heard them expressed before in similar fashion.
I deliver these critiques recognizing that I would struggle to put together a collection of poetry equal in quality to Quisenberry’s, and the truth is that I found the majority of these poems to be interesting to read and cleverly expressed. It’s clear that among major league baseball players, Quisenberry likely ranked among the highest percentile when it comes to thoughtful reflection and literary leanings.
Since few baseball players have published works of poetry, the particular situations and contextualized emotions Quisenberry writes about in many of these poems stand as unique, and I appreciated his ability to communicate the feeling of being a pitcher at baseball’s most competitive level. In particular, the blend of self-confidence and self-doubt inherent in holding such a job come through strongly in many of these poems, but these qualities are equally present in his poems about being a father, a husband, and a human being like the rest of us.
Further comment on some of the cliched content: I don’t think Quisenberry uses a capital letter at any point, a la e.e. cummings. I’ve never known why e.e. cummings chose this strategy, but as an established poet, he surely could have explained his reasoning. I’m less convinced that the Quiz had a particular purpose for this device, but I could be wrong. Additionally, many of the line breaks seemed predictable, as in natural divisions between phrases. There’s nothing wrong with this of course, but professional poets often use line breaks to surprise readers in some way, and I don’t think Quisenberry was utilizing them in this way consistently. Communicating common sentiments in an original way is a challenge for every poet, and while Quisenberry manages to accomplish this more often than I expected, this is one of the ways in which I have perhaps unfairly judged him, as there are numerous sentiments that have a sort of deja vu quality to them, as if I’ve heard them expressed before in similar fashion.
I deliver these critiques recognizing that I would struggle to put together a collection of poetry equal in quality to Quisenberry’s, and the truth is that I found the majority of these poems to be interesting to read and cleverly expressed. It’s clear that among major league baseball players, Quisenberry likely ranked among the highest percentile when it comes to thoughtful reflection and literary leanings.
April 30, 2019
Very deep and spiritual poetry from a former MLB pitcher. While the baseball poems are insightful and sublime, it's the relief half of the book that truly shines.
March 25, 2025
This really has two parts. The first is the baseball section and the second is the “real life” section. Perhaps Quisenberry’s voice wasn’t fully developed but it comes through very clearly anyway and is particularly poignant in the second part in which his faith is clear.
August 7, 2008
I have a soft spot for the Quis (submarine throwing relief pitcher for the Kansas City Royals; published two books of poetry), but the work is a little prosaic, though some of his lines are more interesting than those of your average disruption-fetishist of the meandering now. Probably more of a two-and-a-half star book. I mean, two stars means "ok", so. The Quis might have developed even further if he hadn't died of a brain tumor at a relatively young age.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews