Elegy for the 21st Century

Catherine McGuire's poetical portrait of our time, written with love and critical insight, reveals our flaws, heroics, quirks and challenges. From internet follies to "The Love Song of G. Dubya Bushwack," she shines a piercing spotlight on a country challenged by resource depletion, climate disaster and societal numbness. In formal and free verse, she depicts ordinary people: stranded in trailer parks, living off Nielsen-rating payments, helping strangers. Humor is never far away, balancing seriousness. "Kubla Can't," "Non-Zen-sical," and "Remove All Cookies" poke fun at the ways our society has evolved. McGuire's love of the environment, featured in her chapbooks, here is mixed with awareness of the vast damage we have done to the only home we have: "...it's been...a quickening morph / from sacred to raced / shelter to shovelful...."Altogether, this collection of poems enriches our awareness of the dangers we have created and gives voice to a hope we can turn aside from disaster.