The Big City Eclogue

     This book, City Eclogue, consists of a rather wide collection of poems gathered by Ed Roberson. Quite a few of them are far from the usual pieces of poetry that many are used to, whether by broken lines or no rhyme schemes. However, these pieces still get their point across in their own unusual, yet fascinating way. In this blog, I will tell of how a few of each piece holds it's own while still telling it's story among a collection of pieces.
     The first poem is called Escape Training: Instructor's Flying Rappel. It tells, from the narrator's point of view, of how he starts to climb down the side of a rock face as an example to how one should rappel downward. With such detail, the instructor notices how each movement and tool in use works and how delicate the situation is. Much like rappelling for the first time, the beginning sends you on edge, waiting for someone to fall or for a serious problem arise. But as the middle and end approach, you feel confident in the instructor's skill and realize that the danger was only as one sees it until they've experienced the ride. In the end, you are not only glad you had the experience, but wish for more like that one, perhaps. That is the effect this poem had on me.
     The second poem to be studied is called Point. This is a quite a bit different than the first poem. This poem, I assume, talks about the North Star, one of the more famous of the astrological terms. It compares the star to a ballerina, standing still, not being able to move and dance around. Unlike the first poem, the lines are still organized, yet still broken. Also, the poem didn't leave much of an impact upon me, unlike the previous one. Yet, it tries to describe how sad a star can seem, instead of the usual hope one star can usually fill someone up with. Overall, this poem left me empty. "It does no good," indeed.
     The third poem is called Alpine Glow In Magritte Landscapes. This piece tells of a much broader story on the comparisons of nature and city life. It first tells of how lumber is being pushed down the river by lumberjacks. Then it describes, very well, the city by itself, how the buildings stand. "Upwards... the city a sky of floors." The scenery then describes the computer desk and the screen saver on the computer. I assume this poem tells of how distant our society has become from nature. How the only time people in the city view nature is from their living room on a screen, instead of a window. Though this doesn't get much emotion out, it does make a rather powerful point that perhaps we have distanced ourselves too much from the outdoors.
     These three poems are just small examples of the huge collection of poetry pieces that remain in this book. The range from mediocre to very well done. The second poem I was not so much a fan of, but the first and third are ones everyone should at least take a quick look over once. These are the types of poems that may bring different thoughts and feelings out of each person. That is how you know you have a good poem.