Subject Matter: Poems

by Baron Wormser

Alice Fulton’s praise of Wormser as an "unabashedly American poet" still rings true in this sixth collection, as does Sydney Lea’s view that Wormser has the gift to "speak, not sloganistically but literally, for us all." What will surprise readers is that each poem accomplishes all of this in only fourteen lines—each loose sonnet simultaneously deft, analytical, and wry. Baron Wormser is the author of six previous collections— The White Words, Good Trembling, Atoms, Soul Music and Other Poems, When , and Mulroney & Others —and is the co-author of Teaching the Art of Poetry . He was appointed Poet Laureate of Maine in 2000 and teaches at the Frost Place in Franconia, New Hampshire. He lives in Hallowell, Maine.

Genres: Poetry

88 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 2004

Reviews

[Shara Azad]

In "Subject Matter," Wormser takes on a formal constraint with each poem being broken into 14 lines, 2 stanzas being of 4 lines and the last being of 6. This doesn't seem to be a major obstacle for Wormser, whose natural tendency toward succinctness and simple language translate to the form well. If I were really searching for things to critique, I would say that maybe some of the pieces could be a bit longer than they are and that they are hindered by the formal constraint, but for the most part, Wormser's talent is retained.
The subject matter of "Subject Matter," however, differs from Wormser's other works in that instead of situations as in "When" or small-town America as in "The White Words," Wormser takes on more timeless topics such as romance and orgasms and communism (this last one restricts us to maybe the last century, but still). There is a modern-day feel, but the poems could have just as easily been set years prior based off the language he uses and references he makes (which cannot be pinpointed in time). The wry, characteristic Wormser tone, is maintained though, seen in "Israel" when he writes, "A boy writes down that God is dog spelled/ Backward, then looks with pleasure at his wit." This being the third book of Wormser's that I had read, it became clear to me that the man is a master of getting the most out of the limited words he uses, and in this book in particular each poem was like an hour-long symphony retained in 14 lines, the words well-woven and the emotions deep.

[Tonee Mae Moll · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up without any prior knowledge of Wormser, instead attracted by the fact it was published by Sarabande, who consistently publishes beautiful work. I was charmed quickly. Wormser is uncommonly witty, and his poems posses a sort of intelligence that's both approachable and sagacious at once. I'll definitely be catching up on this poet's body of work.