No Way: An American Tao Te Ching

by David Romtvedt

David Romtvedt’s No An American “Tao Te Ching” explores the art of living in the fast-paced, dangerous, unpredictable contemporary world. Lucid and wise in the spirit of its ancient Chinese predecessor, No Way functions as a kind of offbeat-yet-deadly-serious manual on the conduct of life. This slightly tongue-in-cheek take on the Tao’s advice acknowledges that nobody likes being told how to live, least of all the author himself.

With an openness to complexity and mystery, in tones that range from cool to passionate, No Way brings the Tao into the social turmoil of a twenty-first-century United States beset by political strife, mass shootings, and financial greed. Romtvedt combats cynicism and malaise with wry verse that positions itself in the role of the trickster. The voice of these poems can be serious and contradictory yet also humorous and welcoming. By suggesting that the days of the ancient Tao are gone for good, No Way offers readers an invitation to guide themselves forward, free of sages and rulers.

Genres: Poetry

102 pages, Paperback

Published January 27, 2021

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd say this is one of the bigger disappointments in my reading I can think of. He published an incredible poem (not included here for some reason) that advertised this release, but at least on this read, where the poem that sparked my interest consisted of simple observations and language layered over insight and resonant depth, nearly all of these poems felt like just the simple observations, and not even elegantly simple, being at times chattily wordy.

I'll reread this sometime with more distance from my expectations and maybe find more in it than I have now.

The sparking poem: https://www.thesunmagazine.org/issues...