An Honest Attempt at Speaking the Absence

The Abridged History of Rainfall by Jay Hopler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jay Hopler’s “The Abridged History of Rainfall” is a collection of good poetry: many fine lines and phrases, imagery that is true and right. Many of the poems have a clear voice that is one we want to listen to. Others play with archaic voices or the stylized voice of Wallace Stevens. Sometimes the poet seems to undermine his own poetic eloquence:

“A squadron of dragonflies is darning the darkening/yard” is a fine line, but the poet then says:

“Correction: a squadron of dragonflies is darning the air above the darkening/Yard” —- not as strong an image or conceit.

Given that these are poems mourning the loss of his father, some seem a bit precious and others a bit cold. Hopler is at his most eloquent in simplicity, as in lEpitaph”:

I cannot tell you
How many years I have done
This.

Last year when I did this,
My father was alive.l

Still and all, I recommend the collection. It is honest more than effete, precise more than ironic. How do you effectively speak the absence. “Abridged” is a game attempt.

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