Sacred Chickens
  • Sacred Chickens Blog
  • Books, Podcasts, and Other Fun Stuff
  • Contact
  • Sacred Chickens Blog
  • Books, Podcasts, and Other Fun Stuff
  • Contact

Jarad's Choice Book Club: Zeller's Alley

8/4/2017

0 Comments

 
Picture

Zeller's Alley 

B. Diehl 

Review By Jarad Johnson 

This profound poetry collection offers not only a mixture of personal reflection and societal commentary, but it also reads as a memoir. The author examines and dissects significant moments from his life, and through this we live his experiences, know his emotions and passions, as well as his torment. By the end, you almost come to know the author on a personal level. I at least learned a great deal about him and, no doubt myself, through the pages. In that way, it shows that some experiences are universal, no matter who they happen to. I also feel that the author didn’t make the mistake of aggrandizing his work, which is something that I find in a lot of poetry, where the passion is obscured and hidden behind rhymes, structure and flippant language. This is not that. Mostly, the emotion is raw, intense, and irreverent. You will find no fluff here.

One of the pieces that I want to discuss is called, “Splinter Under the Fingernail,” which is one of my favorites from the first section. It is essentially the author’s commentary on the degradation of news and politics, which is something that is extremely relevant right now. For me, this piece is spot on in describing what has been happening in the last six months, pointing out how distracted the public has been while, “Those perverts in D.C are gang-raping the Bill of Rights.” And of course, it’s true, sadly; the public has been distracted and apathetic for too long. You hear it all the time when someone says, “I just don’t care about politics,” and it was proven when an average of forty percent of people didn’t vote. Even the news, our supposed source of information, is also distracted, he says.

You can feel the frustration and the absolute disillusionment with the government in his writing that is now permeating the majority of the American public when he writes, “Can you smell the filth?”  In the last couple of lines, he warns of a proverbial avalanche coming, and that people may wake up too late before it gets here. “Quit making the talentless rich with your terrible taste.”
           
While I think that this poem can be interpreted in many ways, for me, it summed up the disgust, revulsion, and embarrassment that has become part of everyone’s daily lives since January. I, like many people, can smell the filth. And as much as I try to escape it, it oozes through every crack available and gets stronger by the day.

At one time or another, most people have used the excuse of car trouble to justify being late. In this poem titled with that common explanation, the author exposes his heartache over a recent breakup. It is a raw and unfiltered glimpse at someone who has had their heart broken. It almost feels like you’re intruding on a private moment when you read this, because it’s so intimate and personal. The author is so deeply affected by this that he cannot even bring himself to pass a café where his ex-girlfriend used to work, which makes him fifteen minutes late for work every day. There is a sense of bitterness laced throughout the poem, especially in the last stanzas, when he talks of her feet. When you’re in love with someone, you love every part of them, even their feet. However, when you fall out of love, sometimes you hate everything about them, “Those, ugly, calloused feet.”

Sometimes I found this collection funny, and that was definitely the case with, “Beehive.” It details the authors friend, Zach, who wants to be a professional photographer, but who loathes them and their moustaches at the same time. He’s intently taking pictures of a beehive, which he thinks will rival their pictures of tulips. Of course, he gets too close and steps on the hive, and he quite suddenly has a swarm of bees chasing him half-naked into traffic, which is the most hilarious thing that I’ve heard for some tim. I suppose that there is a broader message there, pride cometh before the fall and all that, but honestly, I love this poem because it made me laugh, and it somehow makes me hope that one of my friends happens upon a beehive one day.

Overall, I found that the author’s voice was well defined and relatable. I liked that his approach to poetry was somewhat unique, using a more raw, stream of consciousness approach rather than a carefully structured format. The author's unique style couples with his intensely emotional self-reflection and spot-on social commentary, mark this book as one that has something for everyone. Any reader, young or old, can enjoy this book for what it is: an
example of good writing. 
Picture

​
​Jarad attends Middle Tennessee State University, loves tea, and tries to spend every spare second reading.  Jarad is majoring in English.  Bless his heart!  Let's all light a candle for him and send him happy thoughts!

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    ​BUY NOW!

    Click Photo above to buy ebook or paperback from Amazon.

    ​Here's the link to
    Barnes and Noble

    Or order through your favorite independent bookstore!​
    email Julie

    Categories

    All
    Author Spotlight
    Blog Post
    Digging In
    Essay
    Film/Tv Review
    Gardening
    Music Review
    Original Poem
    Original Story
    Poetry
    Politics
    Random Thoughts
    Recommendations
    Review
    Uncle Morty
    Uncle Morty On Writing
    Weekend Reading
    Writing Contest

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    March 2024
    January 2024
    October 2023
    June 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013

    RSS Feed