The Other Myrtle

The Other Myrtle, a collection of poems by Bill Considine, is a compelling journey from a father's death in the first poem to a lover's longing in the final one, "We shared a quilt...' There are Whitmanesque touches, such as the Moon howling a loony tune, and classical drama in the playlet Persephone's Return. Considine is a marvelous poet and playwright, and his ability to sustain a narrative line shapes this book from beginning to end. Highly recommended! -Ron Kolm, author of Welcome to the BarbecueWith gorgeous phrases like "a musical moan," or "beer in the tub poured as cold as nails," and poetic walks through a city in early spring, The Other Myrtle pulls us in with its smart combo of carefully sculpted imagery and story. Each poem is a tiny drama, a world. And then, near the end is the marvelous Persephone's Return, a verse-play which sweeps us off to an ancient time, an ancient place. This chapbook delights and inspires and will stay with you, asking to be read and read again. -Francine Witte, author of The Theory of Flesh"All I did was share-be real" writes William Considine. With gorgeously specific descriptions and illuminating details, these poems document a lived experience that is as deeply felt as it is multifaceted, from photosynthesis to Persephone, from family trauma and triumphs to battling rats. But these poems are so much more than documentation. Thanks to Considine's lyricism and talent for piercing, sometimes unexpected insight that comes at just the right moment ("As constant as / the onrush and rocking of water / in a gorge of a mountain, / flows love / for one who seems forgotten"), these poems acquire an existential weight that leaves the reader both enthralled and enriched. -Anton Yakovlev, author of Chronos Dines Alone