Harborton

by Glenn Lyvers

A chapbook offering by award winning poet, Glenn Lyvers. From 2015-2016, Lyvers moved from the Midwest to the Eastern Shore of Virginia where he lived and worked as a writer/publisher. During this time, Lyvers wrote about the Eastern Shore, and this short collection of poems reflects both his Midwestern roots and the influences of the fishing village he called home. These are plain language poems with only the occasional slant rhyme. The real work is done by line breaks, calling attention to Lyvers's mastery of the line ... each has meaning on its own, stacked like hand-cut bricks, creating familiar images until the reader is acquainted with Harborton, its places hard and soft ... and close readings reveal epiphanies that jump out of the bushes like startled dogs. Lyvers makes it seem effortless and natural, and that's why we love Lyvers and his poetry. His voice feels so natural, so honest and resonant that these become our poems. There is something subtle going on, and every read makes it more obvious, seducing skilled poetry readers to return again and again. Learn more about Glenn Lyvers by visiting his website www.GlennLyvers.com

Kindle Edition

Published February 2, 2017

About the author

Glenn Lyvers is an American poet and editor of Poetry Quarterly and Inwood Indiana Press.

Reviews

[John Reinhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harborton is a short collection of descriptive poems, vignettes of place, of Harborton, Virginia's character. These poems evoke simultaneously a personal and general feeling of life in Harborton.

I'm torn between favorites, but generally I found the poems about animals the most effective. Lyvers's clean, clear images of animal life capture that moment when the falcons abandoned the field, and falcons everywhere and everywhen, or the "heron standing there/besides its perfect dark water/reflection/so still."

There's something chummy about "A Bear on the Docks": "He is simply there, and it would be odd/if he weren't, and his day is already half/over - the bear who stands on the dock with me."

Also, in "Just Like That": "The deer stand still for a long minute/before they turn in concert,/walking into the woods,/into the blinding radiance..." Phrases like the "long minute" characterize Lyvers's voice in these poems - clear, accurate observations that offer the reader a chance to be there too.

[Jeff Harbrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harboton is a short collection of poems. Like other collections of poems there are some I really liked and others that weren't really my cup of tea. Overall it was an enjoyable read.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absorb it. Enjoy it.

Most of the poem titles are matter-of-fact and unpoetic, which I found to be an interesting way to contrast (and highlight) the poems themselves.

The poetry is reflective, descriptive, and story-like with punchlines and revelations.

The poem, Even Barns, was my favorite. I found it resonated in a haunting, yet peaceful, way.