Synopsis
"The fierce utterances of spare change are anything but. In poems that dart and turn, on matters as elemental as loss and desire, surfaces are unstable, ironies often lurking at line breaks...Fearless in their desire to arrive at difficult truths, these poems are bracing, generous—and beautiful. You will not forget them." ~Boyer Rickel
spare change is a collection of poems that traverse the pitted and slippery territories of family, illness, addiction, and mothering.
Irene Cooper uses free-verse style poetry to create a dark and beautiful collection. Spare Change is like watching a car wreck: shocking to the core, but you can't look away. I was fascinated with each poem. Strange and fascinating, Cooper's poetry will captivate you.
"sometimes, in my perversity, i see our dead brother as a priest..."
Morbidity and sexuality are intertwined in many of the poems. The combination of the two is shadowy and unnerving and yet, Cooper laces the two together in perfect harmony. Fans of Edgar Allan Poe will enjoy the macabre nature of this collection.
"she now seems different in the light bathed of morning dew dried gold no flat florescence of hospital no glow of casino human moonless and lonesome by the slots in the ward..."
Irene Cooper's honesty about life, death, addiction and more can trigger some. However, the poems are worth reading, even if you are sensitive to such jarring material. The topics are not exploited but rather respected.
"i guess before your body turns to stone tragedy comes wrapped in other colors ash & smoky azure on the bridge end to end with feet..."
Read "spare change" slowly and carefully, soaking in the murky side of life. Irene Cooper is a unique, haunting poet with an old soul. Her words will stab you like a knife but be grateful for the experience. I highly recommend this collection.
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