Dog is a Love from Hell

by Jimmy Cvetic, Rick Bach (Illustrator)

The third critically acclaimed book of poetry by retired police officer Jimmy Cvetic, who writes poetry like Bukowski with a badge. The author of over 5000 poems, Cvetic has worn many a homicide detective, undercover narcotics officer, Vietnam vet, peace activist, a boxing coach and promoter who runs 10 boxing gyms, a Santa Claus who collects thousands of presents every year for under-privileged children. The subject of a feature length film, Secret Society of Dog, his reputation continues to grow. Her are more outrageous true life tales from a cop who has seen it all - from dark comedies of folly to horrific tragedies, Cvetic explores the full spectrum of the human condition, all filtered through his dark humor, empathy, and self-deprecation. Illustrated with linoleum cut artworks by low-brow artist extraordinaire Rick Bach!

Genres: Poetry

180 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Father Tom is a jerk, and some people are not meant to be thieves, and it's not the enema, it's the fear of the enema. I have these stories, Jimmy tells me, and they just keep flowing out. This is the latest in the 'Dog' series of Jimmy's poems. This one is illustrated by Rick Bach. Like this:



There was a fire here, three firemen died. What they call the criminal justice system has made a mess of it. It was Jimmy who wrote a poem about it. Pinhead the Fireman. I must have read that 100 times. Still, now, I have to swallow hard.

That one's here. And a murder on Christmas Eve. How lyin' to a priest ain't like lyin' to god. How's there's no dignity when you're wearing a hospital gown. And how the identity thief who stole Jimmy's identity called him to give it back.

Someday – I hope not too soon – I’ll invite one of Dog’s ex-partners over. I’ll cook and I’ll open a bottle of wine with Dog’s face on the label, that mournful face asking don’t you see it, too. We’ll watch the wine ebb: a reverse drowning. Drink by drink, through the smoked glass, the liquid lowers. Dog’s face brightens. A last laugh. A stinker’s trick.



3 a.m. A time when old men rise. Involuntary obligation. I reach for Dog: I can’t sleep tonight, maybe because of the poetry.

Yes, the poetry. And that stinker. Stories outlast the gloom, if only for the telling.

UPDATE

Rest in Peace, Jimmy.

[Timons Esaias · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I've said elsewhere, Cvetic is a unique and needed voice. He consciously follows Bukowski (though that isn't his only model), but from the perspective of a policeman with a hard taste of street life. For example, these lines from the title poem:

tell them of the fires of hell.
Tell them of the boy that hung himself
in a dirty jail cell in Homestead
and you cut him down
and felt the weight of his cold dead body.
Tell them of Ebony, how she was an honor student
at Westinghouse and she was going to plan her graduation
and she was shot because she was between
the madness of ignorance.
Tell them of Valerie, how she was killed on Christmas
and her last words were,
"I'm hit."

I recently read Dog Days, which I liked a bit better, but this is an emotion-laden, foul-mouthed, serious set of screeds. I particularly admired the following poems:
"Just Me and the Boys Having Fun"
"Murder on Christmas Eve"
"Blame It On the Lights"
"God's Gift"
and the aforementioned title poem.

One thing that detracted was that the layout of my copy got screwed up. There's no page 13, 14 or 16; there are many blank pages where I think it was intended that illustrations be put; and the table of contents page numbers don't match the text. I really like Bach's illustrations (they are a perfect match to Jimmy's poems), and I like Cvetic's work, and I like Bob Ziller's dedication to bringing both out; but bad layouts happen.

The voice and vision are unique, and recommended.

[Dominika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of poetry from a local retired police officer. In a way, Cvetic reminds me of Rowlins in that his poetry tends to focus on the less than desirable of society. However, he's a bit less subjective and cynical about it than Rowlins. There's a lot of focus on childhood memories in a less than perfect Pittsburgh, as well as his Vietnam and police days. He's funny, a bit crude but not to the point of disgust, and I suppose it's always good to look into local talent.

[Pink Freud · Rating 2 out of 5]

This collection felt uninspired and kind of bland, but there were a few standout poems. At the very least these poems paint a decent picture of Cvetic's life, even though a lot of them fell flat. Still, it felt like he was copying Bukowski perhaps a bit too much.