Moth Moon

by Matt Jasper

Poetry. "The Roman poet Petronius once avowed that, considered rightly, there is shipwreck everywhere. In MOTH MOON, Matt Jasper goes farther still, proving time and again that shipwreck is a treasure unto itself, a perfect emerald before and after all mishap. Here, vision is rewarded with new eyes, and I am grateful for the news"--Donald Revell. "You should appreciate his work so he doesn't feel sad or kill people or start a new country and cause genocide"--Tao Lin. "I like Jasper's poems. The short poem 'Flight, ' for example, is a little miracle in the way that it allows me to see through the words into a wordless and darkly ecstatic experience"--Franz Wright

Genres: Poetry

84 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

My author picture is of my kids hanging out with singer B.J. Snowden. I wrote for Rollerderby & Grand Street in the '90s and have a busy, inefficient life that now has me trying to form thousands of pages of schizoid ranting into a novel and a second book of poems. I think I won some writing award or other while flunking out of UNH. I was also nominated for a Pushcart Prize twice. Only loser writers mention Pushcart nominations, though. I also had a poem win Goodreads poem of the month and get emailed to a billion people. Maybe a little less than a billion. If you have read this far, please see all of the amazing free online books and chaps put out by BLAZEVOX & PUBLISHING GENIUS. Also--please forgive me for rating everything a "5". I know it's annoying, it's just that I am obsessed with fives and am euphorically indifferent. Bad book and I am relieved to have finished it? 5! Staggeringly great novel that has me sobbing all over the last page? 5! I'll try to change my scheme someday or add more reviews that explain where I am coming from, if anywhere.

Reviews

[Mir]

I liked this one about the poet's daughter:

EUDORA

She sets a tea for seen and unseen guests--
Empty chairs and stuffed pets.
She pours and talks from place to place.

By way of apology to the Easter Bunny
She says, “And Grampa Widdy will be here too
When he stops being DEAD.”

She sort of sneers that last line--
Rolls her eyes and shifts her hips
As if she’s bored and seventeen.

Yes, death is a minor inconvenience
That keeps one from attending tea parties
Until by special excavation they are cordially invited.

Those who in their poor taste died before Eudora could turn three
Must attend unendingly.
Must bend, must bow, must drink their tea.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

What happens in that fuzziness between being awake and being asleep? Yes, that does sound like some kind of tagline for a horror movie -- but it's not. It's a question used to address Matt Jasper's Moth Moon, a collection of poetry that looks through the ordinary through a surreal and almost magical lense. For instance, in the poem "Moth Moon" the poet tells of "a man who has worn away his hair/against the pillows by shaking/his head" and a "woman who suffers from Dutch elm disease/who speaks to her hands as they turn to dried leaves." Or there's "Tonight They Meet Her in the Park" where children examine their mother: "They are careful to search her eyes/looking for clouds, candy/collapsed cities, the thing inside/that makes her disappear./Or worse, vanish/while still here." If you are looking at another way of examining our world, take a look at Matt Jasper's debut collection.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. The cover is a good reflection of how I felt about many of the poems inside—reflections of bits of life, yet curiously inverted in a way that makes us look at things from a new perspective. I found Photo Album heartbreaking. “The drowned boy will always be four.” Wow. That's a line that's going to haunt me. I also was impressed by Divining, Lull, and Note.

[Will J · Rating 5 out of 5]

My dad wrote this book! It's a book of his poetry he's collected over the years. He's an awesome writer. You better tell him that so he doesn't go insane and kill people, then start a new colony on an island and start mass-genocide.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Profound in many wonderful, tragic ways. I especially appreciate Jasper's poetry about his relationships. They are so raw and tender. I reread this stanza many times, from "Lull," a poem about putting his son to bed without waking him after the son has been "wailing":

I must lift you to the darker room--
set you down as gently as I used to set
half-walnut shells into a slow stream.
They would become boats if I was as careful
as I am not to let you sleep--
your voyage is winding and uncertain
as any shell that could bob along
or run aground on a bed.

You have to read the whole book to know what Jasper is saying has way more behind it than what appears here.

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's more birds here than moths, and there are also bigger things that fly in this collection. He's got an eye and he has the ability to write with many rhythms. I did a Q & A with Matt recently at the Cousins Reading Series blog. Everything he says is interesting. http://readcousins.blogspot.com/2010/...

[Nina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jasper's poetry tackles conventional boundaries and hurls them into the stratosphere. His metaphors surprise and delight. Moth Moon is a collection to read again and again, because each time you will discover something new.

[Juliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/4 stars.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, with strange and often funny turns. An idiot hypnotizes his wristwatch. Sunlight floods a room, and three are drowned.
Weirdly enough, my favorite was the title poem, "Moth Moon."

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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