Mastodon, 80% Complete

by Jonathan Johnson

A collection of poetry of Jonathan Johnson.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Talia · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times some of these poems felt longish, prosey, and I'm not qualified to comment on prosey, since I don't care much for it, but Johnson definitly inserts some intsnse verse (or should I say lyric?) into this stuff:

You are a silent empire of affection.

I suppose I'm free to junk/ these years, sell the wash of erosion and recovery

the cattle fed this blue, unbending, jealous winter.

I really like the poem "Thrity," which sort of seems like a poem of lists, nature lists, but again, inserted is this great stuff:

corners, stones grass, leaves, and tear the moment/ down the middle

tear the moment open, the sentence of/ your life falling in two

And from "Making Bail"

Twenty-five and already accused by an evolution/ whose genes move in blind waters, and whose children live/ as trembling machines, he leaves the bar with Jenny,/ as we all do, Jenny with the stoned smile and sleepy eyes.

The dirt has sent up souls who have no idea.

We hear second-hand voices