Praise for I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHY IT’S CRAZY TO HEAR THE BEAUTIFUL SONGS OF NONEXISTENT BIRDS
In the tradition of Surrealism, Absurdism, and DaDa-ism, Philip Jason’s I Don’t Understand Why It’s Crazy to Hear the Beautiful Songs of Nonexistent Birds energizes everyday imagery with unusual juxtapositions, conflicting descriptors, and the uncomfortable-but-intrinsic relationship of secular and spiritual ideals. In fact, this collection is a treatise of existentialism, as evidenced in the poem, “Modern Everlasting,” when the poem-speaker reveals, “…we have / learned from our grievous mistakes and made / the new gods mortal…,” or as in the poem, “Séance,” with the culturally significant statement, “…the / etceterization of personal things.” Jason’s work explores the hope and hopelessness of the search for love in all its forms, whether personal or spiritual, and one can’t help but recognize the universal struggle. These poems get at the heart of what it means to be in a constant state of flux, and this poet is masterful in expressing these themes.
—David B. Prather, author of Shouting at an Empty House
These are poems unafraid to wrestle with the big questions of existence and do so in a wise and wildly imaginative way. In Philip Jason’s poems, angels are turned into amusement park rides, while our fingerprints are all over the inside of God. At the heart of this book is a profound sense of wonder, where the bric-a-brac of life is infused with the sacred, God becomes impossibly close, and the universe “will never stop praying to be you.” This is a powerful, illuminating, and visionary collection.
—Justin Lacour, author of My Heart is Shaped like a Bed
About PHILIP JASON
Philip Jason is the author of the novel Window Eyes (Unsolicited Press, 2023). He has other poetry forthcoming from Unsolicited Press and Shanti Arts Press. For more, please visit philipjason.com.
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Genre: Poetry
ISBN: 978-1-956692-90-7
Publication Date: August 27, 2024