t. kilgore splake

winter river flowing

selected poems 1979-2014

Presa Press

Avail through: Angst Productions

P.O. Box 508

Calumet, MI 49913

What an unusual time machine ride.

Was under the misconception

—obviously so—

the ’50’s and its quintessential Beat generation writing style had passed away into oblivion…

But nooooooo. In my USPS care package c/o the Inyo County Mental Health Department comes a sharp looking book, winter river flowing.

   Have peripherally followed splake’s (lower case by author’s example) works, but never immersed myself in an entire book—and in fact an additional care package including a small collection of his books has arrived…

anticipate further reading. Stay tuned.)

   The first hoochie skirt spinner to hook me, a well-crafted cover illustration (think, actually a photo process) of the author. Looks so much like an old climbing partner of mine, Sensei Toma, I couldn’t help but open to the pages. Covers do count.

   If you like Beat style (pseudo and improved upon) traditionally referred to as “stream of consciousness” writing: truncated, amped, spontaneous; and well, self-indulgent—you’ll dig tk’s “poetry.”

This professorial cat, many, many books and a full bio to his credit, lives above an art shop in a small berg on Michigan’s upper peninsula. Still enjoying the outdoor, especially trout fishing, life.

The best selections, found in this 150 page volume, those that have eschewed the empirically stated “I” compositions so commonly found in the Beat style and manifest themselves as (more) observational; narratives allowing the reader to become one with the “poems,” living them through self-discovery rather than through an author’s melancholy enumerations. Some interesting “letter style” works are especially note-worthy: requiem for a baccalaureate, fox river odyssey with nick adams, and ghost of phaedrus.

Many references within cementing the authenticity of kilgore’s back story. Some, who haven’t lived their lives fully, shy on lit’ background, not in-touch with the stories that have built the generations travelling before may have to read with an encyclopedia near. But well worth the ref’ check time.

“fishing     (1980)

an expensive graphite rod neatly wrapped in soft red

velvet lining protecting silver ferrules,

during moments of angling fever I still reach for my

son’s old abandoned five dollar zebco with warped

fiberglass and frayed bindings, so I won’t fish alone”

                                                                                    t. kilgore splake

Max tdc, good reading to you