18 review for Everything

1. 

   4 out of 5

   Steven Critelli – Mar 27, 2021

   Everything (2021), Ms. Cohen's latest delivery of wit, whimsy, and truths small and large, is a somewhat less ambitious, as least as I conceive it, than Furs Not Mine and Unfathoming, which contain many of her masterworks. At 110 pages of poetry, there is a full plate here, made digestible by virtue of the small bites and lighter fare. Though she is known for her concise expression and the lightning pole of her wit, Everything is notable for the haiku-like effect of most of the poems. For instan Everything (2021), Ms. Cohen's latest delivery of wit, whimsy, and truths small and large, is a somewhat less ambitious, as least as I conceive it, than Furs Not Mine and Unfathoming, which contain many of her masterworks. At 110 pages of poetry, there is a full plate here, made digestible by virtue of the small bites and lighter fare. Though she is known for her concise expression and the lightning pole of her wit, Everything is notable for the haiku-like effect of most of the poems. For instance, in "Bible Study": How does a five- year-old learn to play dead? Under what sun can she unlearn it. "Openings" is an example of the zen-like discourse that runs through Everything: Eternity has closed its doors─ good riddance! I didn't want forever forever─just this pear tree, branches backlit and the fruits I can't get to. Ms. Cohen published a few such nuggets in Unfathoming (2017) and made them a significant part of her previous work, Nightshade (2019), though typical servings, just as tasteful, tended to predominate in that volume. Whether it is a sign of the current market, or the short attention span of the always-on-the-go poetry audience, she has decided to make these creations the tapas of her newest serving. Getting hungry? Allors, allons y chez Cohen! The volume is arranged in four parts and part iii features longer, typically-sized poems of a page or page and a half (she rarely goes beyond three pages in any volume), so that we can appreciate the merit of her longer meditations, against which some of the shorter poems would seem slight if not for the poet's penetrating intelligence. While I would not be so presumptuous as to name an overarching theme, since Everything spans many subjects and situations, the poet returns, naturally, to the subjects of mortality and age from different perspectives. In all, what she is written here is good food for the soul.

2. 

   5 out of 5

   Hilary I –

3. 

   5 out of 5

   Sasqitoon –

4. 

   5 out of 5

   K.T. –

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Michaela –

6. 

   4 out of 5

   Leo –

7. 

   5 out of 5

   Julie –

8. 

   4 out of 5

   Crystal –

9. 

   4 out of 5

   Aaron –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    James Fraser –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Frank Marter –

12. 

    4 out of 5

    Amanda –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Jacob –

14. 

    4 out of 5

    Marcela –

15. 

    4 out of 5

    Ilídia Alves –

16. 

    4 out of 5

    YoSafBridg –

17. 

    4 out of 5

    Mhl –

18. 

    4 out of 5

    Sarah Urbahns –