Ya Te Veo: Poems

by P. Scott Cunningham

Finalist, 2018 Miller Williams Poetry Prize Ya Te Veo takes as its title the name of a mythical tree that eats people. Like the branches of that tree, the poems in this book seem to capture and nourish themselves on a diverse cast of would-be passers-by, drawing their life-force from the resulting synthesis of characters. Among the seized are poets and painters alongside musicians from Garth Brooks to Wu-Tang Clan to the composer Morton Feldman, whose mysterious personality serves as a backdrop in many poems for meditations on intimacy, ethics, and anxiety. As the phrase “ya te veo” (“I see you”) implies, this is a book interested in revealing what we think is hidden, in questioning the gap inside all of us, a gap between what we feel and what we say and do, making space for our many contradictions. Like the works of Feldman, these poems focus and recede, experimenting with form in order to accomplish a state of deep concentration. They impersonate sonnets, ghazals, terza rima, monologues, translations, and freestyles, but inexactly, embracing failed imitation as an opportunity to remix the familiar.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2018

Reviews

[Nick Moran · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful poems composed with subtle craftsmanship - the playful enjambment - and Morton Feldman keeps showing up. I'm in the mood for a Coca-Cola. Or is it RC? (It's for damn sure not Pepsi.) Obviously my favorite poem was the one about buying a python named Horace from “a guy in Kendall” whose number came from “a friend of a friend of a friend.” #ThatsSoMiami

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always run toward the surreal, the magical, the bizarre. This is why I'm here. P. Scott Cunningham's collection is a wondrous rabbit hole to explore. I read the e-version through my library, and now I need to buy it so I can read it again. A particular favorite in this collection is "A Story About Marriage", which you can read here: http://www.tupeloquarterly.com/a-stor...

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I like Horace the snake and some of his poetry, I could care less about Feldman who kept appearing throughout.

[Jessica Lucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Ya Te Veo" by P. Scott Cunningham is a book of modern poetry with modern intentions. With the intonations of a hipster, human life is explored. At times, the words are a comedy routine, and at others, they are a cries of anguish. Growing up, married life, and reminiscing about life as a 1980s kid: this collection pushes the reader to think outside the box, and to see the common world in an uncommon way.

[Lorespar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting poems that tell a story: a lot to process and take in. Super fun book, musical and hilarious at times. Serious poet who makes my city home: O'Miami this is a great, little book of poems. I believe it is great to read at the beach or park, especially outside, because it dances with its words and can liven up an otherwise danceless day.

[Kayla C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much of this book was spent researching references I didn't understand - however, with each bit of knowledge I gained in my searches, the collection gained more and more value not only as a reader but also as a writer. The variety of the poems within keep a reader interested and engaged, and any reader will undoubtedly find a few poems within that stick with them.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some really good poems in here and then some that left me confused-confused more than interested-confused. I'm just not a big fan of the total fragment poems, though I'll admit some of Cunningham's fragmentation stitching was clever. This is a case of "it's not you it's me".

[Tyler Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was consistently surprised, tickled, and pushed to research while reading this book. What more could I want? For fans of Ruefle and Hickok and Hayes

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great collection of poems with the perfect blend of humor/despair.

[Post No]

"Ya Te Veo by P. Scott Cunningham begins with the poem “Giles Corey.” This poem retells the story of a victim of the Salem witch trials who is executed by pressing, or slowly laying increasing weight on the victim until they die. During the poem, the townspeople continue placing more and more stones on Corey’s body, but get distracted and start to forget, exactly, for what it is they are punishing him. At the end of the poem, Corey continues to survive, seeing the “brown to red to black” of the sky and feeling like “Every breath arrived like a letter” (pg. 4). The poem ends with him saying “More weight” in challenge to his executioners. This move—from pessimism and darkness to continued piling to a type of resistance that asks for even more—is the perfect frame to discuss P. Scott Cunningham’s first collection of poems."

Read full review at http://www.postnoills.com/main/?p=1228