Boxelder Bug Variations: A Meditation on an Idea in Language and Music

Bill Holm, of Minneota, Minnesota creatively tackles the subject of the Boxelder bug. This thin volume includes cleverly written poetry, essays and music on the theme of the Boxelder Bug.Example...from p. 26 The Minnesota UnderTaker, Thinking Perhaps of Future Business, Looks Me Square in the Eye During Men's Night at the Golf Course, And Says: I thought of you last night as I flicked a boxelder bug off my lapel.At times humorous, at times contemplative, and at times downright weird, Holm has created a truly unique book filled with off-the-wall poetry and prose.

The concept, in and of itself defies explanation -a work of art devoted to boxelder bugs.As a child, I despied boxelder bugs. Their beady red eyes, their sleek black bodies, and their ability to fly, were too much for a four-year-old to bear. The bugs hung in massive colonies onto the green siding of our St. Paul home and frequently flew around my head and into my hair.Bill Holm's book gave me an appreciation for this bug that I never could have imagined having before. The short volume is filled with witty poetry, stories, artwork, and essays that made me laugh-out-loud.It will be the most unusual book that sits on your bookshelf, but you won't be disappointed.