The Numbers

by Gordon Massman

Poetry. The poems in this volume are but representatives of Gordon Massman's life-long project, now 1193 poems deep, each merely numbered in the order it was written, and which when completed will form a psychographic autobiography. This self-analytical project is thus far passionately realized and rewardingly told in this unusual collection. From 370: If I could stick my tongue through the fat portion/ of my palm, completely through so that it waggles on/ the other side, like a worm or a soft sword; there/ I would find God: an ordinary tongue, an ordinary/ hand, but an extraordinary moment -- the tongue penetrating/ the soft lips of a hand which water -- close around it/ when withdrawn. God would be there -- I am certain -- / where the flesh gave way to the wetness, where the/ little opening parted for the rooting tip, magically.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

Reviews

[C. Varn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gordon Massman's The Numbers is a particular kind of avant-garde poetry: manic, meandering, and largely personal. Massman's output consists of numbered poems, consisting here of selections between 21 and 1113, and written over a period of a decade. One definitely gets the feeling that these perform really well and are full of nuggets of reflection and insight, but often rush off into unexpected or even prosaic directions that don't always seem to cohere. At times this collection feels like Adorno as a manic street preacher or if Berryman had been merged with a beat poet and told to share his diary. Ultimately, both brilliant and frustrating, it makes for an uneven read.

[Joshua Gage · Rating 1 out of 5]

A really weak collection of "poetry." Most of these so called poems were merely disconnected rants, littered with abstractions and lacking solid imagery, metaphor, rhythm, or any of the other hallmarks of solid poetry. A really poor collection of poems.