Review of Special Operation by Mark Pawlak

Generally, I try to avoid political poems as well as anti-war poems. Not because they don’t have an important place in those overlapping genres—they do. Or because they can’t effectuate changes in belief systems with their emotional and sometimes rational appeal—they can. But even so, overcome with their own self-importance or consumed with the certainty of true believers, the poets, who write them, usually fail. Brilliant exceptions like Sigfried Sassoon (First World War), Wilfred Owen (First World War), and Michael Casey (Vietnam War) prove the rule. Therefore, when confronted with reviewable collections of this verse type, I walk, nay, I run in the other direction. But not today. For more of my review of Special Operation go here: https://dougholder.blogspot.com/2026/04/special-operation-by-mark-pawlak.html

Paul Robeson Sings for Miners

Joe Hill

My will is easy to decide
For I have nothing to divide
My kin don't need to weep and moan
Moss does not cling to a rolling stone

My body? oh, if I could choose
I would to ashes it reduce
And let the merry breezes blow
My dust to where some flowers grow

Perhaps some fading flower then
Would soon rise up and grow green again
This is my last and final will
Good luck to all of you,
                        Joe Hill

Labor organizer. IWW Wobbly.

Executed in November of 1915, Salt lake City, Utah. 

Claimed he wouldn't be caught dead in Utah.    https://youtu.be/B0bezsMVU7c?si=_w3wjk5qhGySDX1M

XJ Kennedy R.I.P.

Terse Praise for XJ Kennedy*

 

Oh Kennedy, what caused your pen to stray?

Yes, what would William Carlos Williams say?

The pound of that stress, the wink of that rhyme,

Your wry charming muse set the paradigm.

Lost scribblers, you led them from pharaoh’s waste

Of straw-less mud-poems, you poker-faced

Old pirate. You posed non compos mentis

To grim souls, plotted not a little fuss,

Then stood back to watch as gates imploded

With country-versed folk, each scene decoded.

Outlaws purloining metered craft soon proved

Your counter measures had begun, had moved

Those hidden relics from an ancient mound,

That melodic language once lost, now found.

*Originally published in Ibbetson Street and included in my book Odd Man Out-- DD

Two more of my Metaphysical Commentaries Published

   

Two more of my Metaphysical Commentaries have just been published by Constellations, a journal of poetry and fiction. Thank you to Nina Rubinstein Alonzo, the editor. Both of these are included in my sequence of 152 quatrains. One of these, published by Constellations, is pictured here.

Review of A Day In The Republic by Tim Suermondt

 Retying a shoelace in poetic terms can make all the difference. Tim Suermondt in his new book entitled A Day In The Republic celebrates the ordinary progression of life’s footsteps through geography and time. Suermondt, a veritable Everyman, conveys the wonder of inexhaustible routine in poem after poem. His commonplace images surprise with their hidden possibilities and seem to magically flower with each touch or sympathetic attention by the reader.

 Clean lines, decency, and simplicity, masking a more complicated reality, dominate Suermondt’s pieces. This straightforward technique propels an imagination of hopefulness and idiosyncratic comfort. For more of my review of A Day In The Republic go here:  http://dougholder.blogspot.com/2026/01/a-day-in-republic-by-tim-suermondt.html

Greenland and America's Northwest Passage

Greenland anchors one end of the fabled and increasingly accessible Northwest Passage connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Alaska anchors the other end. The route passes through the Davis Strait and Baffin Bay. A scattering of Inuits inhabit the surrounding shores and Canada thusly claims the passage as internal waters. The United States, on the contrary, considers it an international strait and a futuristic necessity for economic and seasonal trading purposes. Having defensively occupied Greenland during World War II, after Denmark capitulated to the Nazis, the United States considers Greenland a key factor in American and NATO security. In 1951 President Harry Truman attempted to purchase Greenland from Denmark, but failed.

 Before there was a United States or a Panama Canal European explorers and visionaries sought a trade route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Associated with names such as Sir Walter Raleigh, Henry Hudson,  John Cabot, and Roald Amundsen, the Northwest Passage became the Holy Grail of American colonization. This seemingly mythological waterway (originally foreseen as more southerly, using the Great Lakes) inspired the first continental superhero, Robert Rogers, to risk his life and hard-earned fortune and probably his sanity in search of this dream of discovery with its embedded  idea of America and its Manifest Destiny.

 Attaining his fame during the so-called French and Indian War and Pontiac’s Rebellion, Rogers turned away from his Indian fighter reputation and advocated for fairer treatment of and honest trading practices with the indigenous North American tribes.

 Kenneth Roberts wrote an inciteful book of historic fiction on Roger's life, Northwest Passage, in 1937. For those so inclined, my slim chapbook, Alcaics for Major Robert Rogers, published by Wilderness House Press, deals with Rogers on a poetic level. 

Review of The Ones I Could Tell Anything by Nina Rubinstein Alonzo

Poetry usually works best when the poet objectifies the personal on a mindful scale between self-evaluation and mythic individuality. Nina Rubinstein Alonzo does exactly that in her latest collection The Ones I Could Tell Anything, subtitled Mists of Self.

 Styled mostly in crisp, neatly packed pods sans punctuation, Alonzo’s confessional pieces in Part I intimate external human connections beyond pedestrian attention and in Part II, using inspired depictions, her very different, surreal pieces often wax mythical with internal and latent symbolism. These same images rub up against each other wonderfully, fusing dry narratives with her seemingly subconscious visions. For more of my review of The Ones I Could Tell Anything go here: https://dougholder.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-ones-i-could-tell-anything-mists-of.html

Review of the Trojan Woman by Euripides, translated by the late, great Francis Blessington

 Scurrying along the base of the looming, chemically-stained building, through the parking lot, under the steam pipe, down the twisted steps and into a forbidding white-washed brick, claustrophobia-inducing passageway, the door wedged open with a boulder, I arrived at the Factory Theater.  And then it got better, much better.

On opening night the Trojan Women played to a packed theater. The experience was unforgettable. The light, set, sound, and costume designers worked magic. You could hear the creaking of Greek ships and almost smell the tide as it rolled in. Audience members sat among the cast on the gritty stage as the play began and crazed, damaged women in torn dresses roamed among them, obviously in shock.

The intimate seating arrangement I liked very much; it produces an edgy magic. One moment Helen of Troy seduces you with her eye contact, the next moment a Greek chorus addresses you with a heart-rending dirge. We were all amazed when, in the distance, Troy burned, and we all watched that awful spectacle together in the same confined camp-space.

The acting ensemble consists of eight players and two of them have multiple roles. The three women that make up the chorus mingle silently with the audience when they are not reciting a choral piece.

For more of my review ( First Posted May 20, 2012) of the Trojan Women go here: http://dougholder.blogspot.com/2012/05/trojan-women-by-euripides-translated-by.html

Reading at Walnut Street Cafe, Lynn MA September 3rd

 I will be reading at the Walnut Street Coffee Cafe on September 3, 2025, The cafe is located at 157 Walnut Street, Lynn Massachusetts. One Feature. Open mic: 7:30-8:30 pm. Feature: 8:30-9:00 pm.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/343103045884069/   

Five Poems Published by Synchronized Chaos

 Five of my poems, Hiraeth, A Berserker's Meditation, Being, Interim Ethic, and Grammarian's Nightmare have just been published by Synchronized Chaos. Thank you to the editor, Cristina Deptula. Here is the link: https://synchchaos.com/poetry-from-dennis-daly/

The Shredder

 The Shredder—A Memory

 Given the first two alternatives, a room in the Mustapha Hotel almost made sense. The room I had booked at the Intercontinental had been hit by a missile. The second room or, rather, compound, formerly occupied by Osama Bin Laden, turned out to be an inside joke hatched up between my translator and my driver.

 Frequented by serious journalists, UN staffers, NGO employees, and clandestine types, the Mustapha seemed perfect. Among its assets was a rooftop dining area overlooking the city and an illegal bar serving cold German beer on tap. We were assured that the Taliban, government officials, and some religious leaders were sufficiently bribed. The liabilities included no continuous security and the institution’s questionable walls.

 Understanding the need for office space to accommodate the influx of Westerners, the owners had installed floor to ceiling glass partitions. Later, when priorities changed, the partitions were painted over and converted into hotel room walls. What could possibly go wrong?

 Days after I had checked in, the hotel management braced itself after being threatened by a would-be suicide bomber. Armored vehicles patrolled outside. Black humor proliferated. If an explosion happened, the physics suggested the shredding of all unsuspecting (and some suspecting) guests within these glass-walled rooms.

 As soon as practicable, we left, driving north into the relative safety of the towering and now less forbidding Hindu Kush mountains.

Review of I Ain't Gonna Wait For Godot, No More

 Doug Holder doesn’t beat around the bush. His poetry grabs you with its pent-up gusto and bohemian worldview. Maddening at times. Falling-down funny. Sad, beyond troubling. Ravenous. A direct poetic descendent of Ginsberg, Corso, and Huncke, this poet today stands alone in his alternate universe with his off-kilter, gritty observations. In his new collection, I Aint Gonna Wait For Godot No More, Holder wanders over the creaking floorboards of his poetic offerings confronting existential questions and supplying make-do answers. Mortality and meaning lurk between his insistent lines. For more of my review of I Ain't Gonna Wait For Godot No More go here: https://dougholder.blogspot.com/2025/07/i-aint-gonna-wait-for-godot-no-more.html

Poetry Reading at the Phinista Cafe July 17th

I will be reading poetry at the Phinista Cafe on July 17th at 7 PM. with four other fine poets: Doug Holder, Gloria Mindock, Peter Brown, and Philip Nikolayev. The readings will be followed by an open mic. The Phinista Cafe is located at 186 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140.

Review of Hard Up by M.P. Carver Published by Wilderness House

 My review of M.P. Carver's Hard Up has been published in the Summer Issue of Wilderness House Literary Review. Here is the link: https://www.whlreview.com/no-20.2/review/DennisDaly.pdf 

Eleven of my Metaphysical Commentaries Published

Eleven of my Metaphysical Commentaries (a sequence of 154 quatrains) have been published by Wilderness House Literary Review. Thank you to Ravi Yelamanchilli, the Poetry Editor, and Steve Glines, the publisher, novelist, poet, and book designer extraordinaire. Here is the link: http://www.whlreview.com/no-20.2/poetry/DennisDaly.pdf

My Poem Carousel Published by Asses of Parnassus

Somehow I missed this. It was published earlier in the year. Carousel is part of my 154 poem sequence entitled Metaphysical Commentaries. Thank you to the Asses of Parnassus and its terrific editor Brooke Clark.  Here is the link: https://www.tumblr.com/assesofparnassus/774754232614240256/carousel?source=share

Poetry Reading at the Phinista Cafe Cancelled/ Rescheduled

 The poetry reading for tonight at the Phinista Cafe has been cancelled. The A/C broke. Rescheduled for July 17th at 7 PM.

Review of Hard Up by M.P. Carver

Calliope rules the world of heroic poetry. Even collections of short heroic poetry motivated by injustice. Whatever the intent of the poet, this muse waits for her opportunity to intervene, to alter, to charm. When reading M.P. Carver’s latest chapbook, Hard Up, one delights in the counterpoint between musical expression and poetical grievance. Carver’s (and her muse’s) ability to transcend down-and-out situations with humor and the necessary concomitant irony inspires. It inspires so much that the political point of her art becomes secondary to her admirable persona and descriptive magic. For more of my review of Hard Up go here:  https://dougholder.blogspot.com/2025/06/hard-up-by-mp-carver.html

Poetry Reading June 19th Cancelled

 I will be reading my poetry on June 19, 2025, 7PM to 9 PM at the Phinista Cafe at 1876 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA. with three other excellent poets-- Gloria Mindock, Doug Holder, and Philip Nikolayev. Following the reading there will be an open mic. Rescheduled for July 17th.

Past Reviews of Twenty-One Ghazals

Looking back, I had three lovely reviews of  Twenty-One Ghazals, all of which I very much appreciated. Here are the links:

http://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/73844

http://dougholder.blogspot.com/2016/12/gifts-from-samarkind-by-ed-meek-review.html

http://dougholder.blogspot.com/2017/06/twenty-one-ghazals-alisher-navoiy.html?spref=fb

 

My Poem Transubstantiation Published

 Thank you to Amethyst Review and its wonderful editor, Sarah Law, for publishing Transubstantiation. Here is the link: https://amethystmagazine.org/2025/05/12/transubstantiation-a-poem-by-dennis-daly/ 

My Quatrain Aftermath published by Molecule

 Thank you to editors M.P. Carver and Kevin Carey for publishing my poem (quatrain) Aftermath in Molecule, a tiny, but wondrous, little mag. Here is the link for Issue 12. https://moleculetinylitmag.art.blog  The piece is on page 37. 

Review of Speaking for Everyone, An Anthology of "We" Poems

 Use of the third person plural in poetry not only draws the writer away from the overly fashionable confessional style of versifying but adds a sense of universality and transcendence to the word-craft. The ability to connect the emotions and thoughts of a multitude suggests either deep arrogance (in bad poetry) or collective insight and consciousness (in good poetry). There are obvious pitfalls. For instance, “we” could simply be used as a metaphor for “I.” Or the writer may project his revelations onto others without any real sapience. Eric Greinke’s masterfully edited anthology entitled Speaking For Everyone avoids the pitfalls of this genre and, in his inspired choices of good poetry, bonds together the fears and hopes and commonalities inherent in the nature of mankind. For more of my review of Speaking for Everyone go here:  https://dougholder.blogspot.com/2025/02/speaking-for-everyone-anthology-of-we.html

Recent Interview of Me by Marcus Breen on Boston Media Theory

On Tuesday, February 11th Marcus Breen, a professor of communications at Boston College, interviewed me on his local TV show Boston Media Theory (NewTV in Newton MA). At the end of the discussion I read a couple of my union poems: The Electrician and Rat-Friend. Here is the YouTube link:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJPNg0WcYw8&t=208s&pp=ygUbZGVubmlzIGRhbHkgdW5pb24gaW50ZXJ2aWV3

My Poem, Lines Written for Thomas Merton, Published

 My poem, Lines Written for Thomas Merton, was just published in Lyrical Somerville. Thank you to Doug Holder, the editor. Here is the link: https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/138428