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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
"Snapshots of Moments Caught in Time" Oct 18, 2006
By Anita Skarpathiotis
With "Statues and Trees" Spencer Farmans embarks on a wonderful collection of poetry, which is a testament to some thirty years of artistic exploration and creative force. In it, he achieves a synthesis of intellectual ideas and deep humanity through lyrical expression. The collection is broad, revealing Farmans' evolution as a poet. It includes poems from his early youth, such as "The Lover's Tree" written in 1975 with an emotive language and a Romantic flair, to his most recent poetic compositions such as "Christ of St. John of the Cross": a poem that probes into the depths of Dali's spiritually charged, intriguing artistic composition, and renders a layered poetic reading of the painting.
The subjects of his poems are drawn from a broad spectrum of living experiences: they tell stories; they paint pictures of unique moments in time; they convey intellectually intriguing ideas; and they unveil powerfully emotional states. Words and ideas are carefully calibrated to provide a rhythmical motion enhancing the visual imagery of the poems. A great example is "The Magician" in which great rhyme combined with colorful language offers a masterful, exhaustive description of the intricacies of magic on stage. Other poems have very little rhyme, yet tell a story as does "The Blanket", one of the most lyrical poems of the book, in which the melancholy of aging and loneliness, and the yearning for the past beautifully intertwine with playful images of an unspoiled nature. Farmans' lyrical voice also explores real life experiences with magic, as in "China Girl". In this long and unusual poem, he carefully molds his insightful observations into a deftly controlled verse which is permeated by a deep understanding for the human condition. Lastly, poems such as "Only Inquisition on an Evening Beach" and "Aphrodite" encapsulate Farmans' unique ability to create a modern verse balancing the personal and the universal. "Statues and Trees" is a wonderful book of poems of a promising poetic voice.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Alas! The Mid-West has produced another poet. Sep 11, 2006
By Theo J. Poulos
"English Teacher"
Just when you thought it was not safe to go into the poetic waters anymore this book arrived. Statues and Trees is one of the most dynamic books to come out of the wilderness of modern American poetry. It shows us the way back to civilization. Like his contemporaries, Farmans follows Wordsworth's dictum that "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings." Unlike his contemporaries, however, Farmans is one of the few who remembers the second part of Wordsworth's statement: "but though this be true, poems to which any value can be attached, were never produced on any variety of subjects but by a man who, being possessed of more than usual organic sensibility, had also thought long and deeply." Farmans has thought long and deeply about this collection and it shows. God, Love, Art, Philosophy, and History are but a few of the great ideas manifest here. Today's favorite is "The Magician." Tomorrow who knows. Farmans' poetry is not a mere volume of verse, but rather a living, organic, being. You must converse with it daily.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Poetry Still Around After All ! Dec 22, 2006
By Mehe Ahmed
Poetry Still Around After All!
It's been too long since a book of poetry has been something worthy of attention.
It had seemed the poetic world was forgotten, buried with Whitman and Dickinson. However, Spencer Michael Farmans' "Statues and Trees" dares to remind readers that poetry is here to stay.
Each poem (there are over 50) in "Statues and Trees is different from each other, not following just one poetical style, but encompassing a variety of them. Farmans' works in this book are brief, lacking dense, confusing verses, making "Statues" a quick read and very understandable. But while it may be asy to finish this book quickly, the content is definitely worth taking the time to appreciate. It's evident by reading these short, thoughtful poems that the poet writes with incredible care and attention to detail.
Farmans writes about various topics ranging from love and personal reflection to life and death. All are based on his own experiences, so it's as if each poem is a memory.
A standout poem among many is "Yesterday's Dreams" where the speaker laments his past goals and desires and is stuck in life's routine. Farmans writes, "rarely do I dream for free/or for more than life allows."
This book gives the reader some seasoned advice, entertainment, and hope for the years to come.
While poetry might not be everyone's literary preference, I'm still sure one can connect to "Statues" in one way or another. In fact, I defy anyone to read Farmans' composition of poems and not be able to relate to it.
"Statues and Trees" is the second book published by Spencer Michael Farmans, a Moraine Valley professor in literature and writing. He dedicates it to his wife, Janet-Marie. "Statues and Trees" can be found in the Moraine Valley bookstore. (Meha Ahmad, Entertainment Editor of "The Glacier Newspaper")
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Sit down and take some time to enjoy Statues and Trees Nov 19, 2006
By Tanya L. Boutin
"I know what the subject of a poem can address, which is anything."
-Spencer Michael Farmans, Statues and Trees (Introduction)
Spencer Farmans is a dreamer's poet. His poems reflect the reality all dreamers wish was their own -- one where time is frozen and there is nothing else but the moment to live in. Statues and Trees, a collection of over thirty years of Farmans' poetry, is a reminder that while good writers write what they know, the best know how to write about it. From young, unrequited love to an unexpected trip to a bordello, Farmans has found the words to make his world a beautiful place for all to roam.
Each poem in Statues and Trees is accompanied by the year in which it was written, although (to this reader's pleasant surprise) they are not arranged chronologically. And while Farmans states in the introduction to the book that he has 'even less knowledge' of 'what a poem should be' than he did thirty years ago, it is evident that he has fine-tuned his observations and gained great wisdom throughout the years. I leave you with "Night and Day," written in 2006, as an example of the intimacy and insight evident in so many of his poems:
"Night and Day"
The night is darker than the white
of the moon's lunacy tonight.
What is that there? Is that the light
from my phosphorescent fight?
Perhaps my face is burning rays?
How curious if it be,
the sunrise of our yesterdays
within the soul of me?
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Great new book from Chicago author! Sep 29, 2006
By Christopher Davis
"Author"
This is truly a refreshing new book of poetry that spans almost thirty years of living and writing, from an author and teacher out of the Mid-West. The poems cover a range from intellectual observation to very personal emotional reflection based on a wide variety of life experiences. One of my particular favorites is Night Flight--which centers on the lamented lost passions of a now sterile soul.
A very fresh set of writings enhanced by the author's own unique and very personal style. His verse is modern and crisp, and reads smoothly within each particular poem. A book I would highly recommend!
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