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Stirring Within: Poems and Tales from Mount Carmel
G. Emil Reutter
Plain Speak/Sweet Speak
G. Emil Reutter & Phil Primeau
Review by Eileen
D'Angelo
G. Emil Reutter's poems are carved like a sculpture from a block of
ice: thin, striking lines, like the blade of a stiletto. His wit, too,
is razor-sharp. In the best sense of the word, his poems are masculine:
powerful words tempered by testosterone and tenderness, words full of
strength and sensuality, with a keen eye toward internal reflection
and self-discovery.
Reutter knows his gift for intonation and inflection, for colloquial
language. In his latest collection of poems, Plainspeak, you
will note the honesty of his expression, see his words rise off the
page with a clear purpose, a distinct voice.
Many of these poems come to life evoking a soft sensuality; yet an
allusion to sex lies just beneath the surface. He deliberately uses
this effect throughout his poems. Webster defines the word insinuate
as "to introduce by gentle and artful means, to hint."
Now consider the poem "Stargazer's" seductive, double-entendre
voice. The measured, two line couplets are loaded with innuendo, as
if to say the reader can't handle more than two lines at once. Or the
poem, "sweet inside," that leads the reader down a clever,
seemingly sexual path: "tongue glides along / slowly entering /
tasting sweetness." Only to change direction suddenly for the surprise
ending: "Ah / nothing is quite / like a Creamsicle / on a hot summer
day." It's as if the poem looks up innocently to say, "I know
what you were thinking."
In his poem, "muzak," with his skilled sense of irony and
humor, he describes one of the more defining moments in all of our lives:
the moment we discover to our utter surprise that we are getting older,
as evidenced in the comedic horror of Mick Jagger as elevator music,
the frightening fact that the music of our generation is now considered
"oldies." His poem quietly asks the question: How did this
happen?
This is poetry that is down to earth, that speaks of daily lives, loves
and passions, and is accessible, memorable and limitless. His work reflects
a love of life and a concern for humanity; it is the epitome of the
idea that with every single moment we learn something about ourselves.
It is the essence of knowing how we affect the world and how the world
affects us, on a strikingly personal basis.
Poets record the events in their lives, watch the world's joys and
tragedies and infuse the stark, naked headlines with emotion and perception,
with understanding and truth. Reutter, through an economy of powerful
words, is equal to the task.
STIRRING WITHIN AND TALES FROM MOUNT CARMEL - Blaze Vox Books, 2006:
ISBN 1-934289-22-1
PLAINSPEAK - Persistencia Press, Boston, Massachusetts Ebook
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