Publisher's Synopsis
Poetry. Jim Leftwich's BURSTING PRESENTS presents his virtuosity in full flight. It's many things--388 short poems that flow & adhere to create a 388 stanza long poem, a journal of a month, at times a commentary on things read or observed in that period of time. It shares with what Jim describes as 'expositions'--seemingly syllable by syllable readings of the poems of others--a desire to explore, to expose, the endoskeleton of the work. It plays with words, it plays on words. As example, 'vErbiaGe' transforms to 'foLiaGe VeRbaTim' in the space between poems. The word 'bard, ' variously defined as a skilled poet-singer, a story teller, verse-maker, oral historian, & genealogist, springs to mind when I consider Jim's work. Add to that its spontaneity & lack of hesitation, the rapid transition from idea to idea, & we're delving into the improvisation of the masters, whether it be the staccato Monk or the ebullient Parker. BURSTING PRESENTS enhances the breadth & depth of an already impressive poetic canon.--Mark Young
