Cafe Alibi

The second book by this young poet; lovely poems and well arranged. A lyrical collection. Swift is a poet to watch.Kathleen Spivack

No less breathtaking than the most intimate gaze of Roland Barthes, Swift's new collection of poems dares to go beyond Language by leaving us to dwell, if just for a moment, in a bantam world where we graze upon nostalgia, bend with desire, feed upon the barbiturate that can only be named longing--all the while being soothed by the lifeline of the lyric. Reading Cafe Alibi, we are privileged to visit an autarkic world where the aethetics of desire establish their own sense of time and order. A chilling and stunning read!

In this remarkable collection of poems, Todd Swift deftly moves from the seemingly banal and everyday to the sublime, exploring both in life and in love. The poems are deeply personal--and yet you will find yourself within the many layers of his tightly written verses. Mr. Swift's poems will transport you to other places and times, foreign and yet as close as home, and have you yearning to visit Café Alibi again and again, each time discovering the richness and wonder that is life itself.

The poem "Sheer Speculation", an extended meditation on what happens to all our unreciprocated love, is stunningly funny, wickedly punning and altogether delightful. "...where do we half-hearts reside?" Todd Swift is a prodigious talent, and the gifts and rewards provided by this collection are many. The opening poem, "Letting Go" takes a new twist on the baby-bathwater connection - a must-read poem. Read Swift's "Cafe Alibi" and you will not be disappointed. It is by turns ruminative, tender and startling. Swift is a true original.