Dialogue for the Left and Right Hand

This is a memorable collection of poetry. Although the works included vary in subject matter and theme, the common thread is Cramer's simple and eloquent writing from his own experience as a forty-something American male at the end of the twentieth century.One theme that recurs throughout the collection is the awareness of mortality, both our own and that of all life, that most of us develop as we reach middle age. The poems reflect an unyielding sadness in the face of the inevitability of illness and death; at the same time, they demonstrate an existential resignation to mortality as a necessary condition to human existence. Thus, in responding to the medical news of a friend, Cramer writes "All I did was hold on and say nothing,/Because the answer is there is no answer".I find the most moving poems in the collection to be those in which Cramer deals with the loss of his parents. Both "December 9, 1993" and "Villanelle After a Burial" are deeply touching pieces. The latter in particular is noteworthy, as it represents a hauntingly beautiful use of a traditional poetic form by a poet who usually writes unbound by traditional formalism.There is of course much, much more to this collection of poetry than this brief review can convey. Cramer has a gift for giving unique and memorable expression to experiences and emotions common to many of his peers. Many of us will recognize our own lives in his verse.